Fate or Love?
by Aerith08
Summary: A girl finds herself inside the world of Kingdom Hearts, and discovers her ties to certain unexplained parts of the plot. She's supposed to be there, but what if she doesn't like what she's supposed to do? People in character or close. Spoilers. No yaoi
1. Boringish Intro and Setting Stuff

Wheeeee! Ok, this is my first fanfic, so go easy on me, alright?

But seriously, if anyone has any improvement ideas, I could probably use them, so please review!

Before I start, a bit about the main character (who is NOT me):

Avalon Rain is a 17-year-old high school senior (the youngest in her class).

Build: Thin-ish (not anorexic thin: natural, curvy thin), about 5'1''.

Hair: Think Kiari's new haircut (I actually had this idea before that, but w/e). Gold-ish, strawberry-blonde color with natural variations.

Eyes: Long lashes, naturally dark. Bright blue eyes (sorta like Cloud's color). These eyes stand out.

Alarmingly bright lips (sorta ruby colored), full.

At the beginning of the story Avalon is wearing a black tank top that tends to show some cleavage and stomach (not on purpose), and pink plaid pj pants with black and white (which tend to ride a little low). Black & pink tennis shoes.

Onyx cross necklace (rather large) that falls right above chest.

She's wearing rings and 3 earrings per ear, but I'm sure you don't want me to describe'em.

Forgot the disclaimer, doing it now! I own nothing but Avalon. I DO NOT own Kingdom Hearts, as much as I love it.

kk. On with the story!

* * *

"Hmmm…" Avalon's eyes were bright and attentive as she studied her surroundings. "Not bad!" 

Avalon was standing in the center of a four-room cabin just outside of the Pennsylvanian mountains. There was a bathroom, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a living room. "Everything a person needs," she mused happily. It was small, about the size of a large apartment, but it was more than big enough for one person. Plus, it wouldn't cost much at all: Avalon's uncle would be selling it to her at a reduced price seeing as her immediate family was a bit tight on money.

Why buy the place, then? Avalon was going to college in a few months, and somehow a five-person household with a 12-year old brother and 3-year old sister didn't seem like the best college environment. Even her parents agreed with her on that fact.

At any rate, Avalon was going to spend a week or two at the cabin to get used to the area. Provided an ax-murderer or rapist didn't attack her in the meantime. Avalon grinned at her mother's warnings as she'd left the house that day. (Things like "Don't talk to strangers," "Don't answer the door at night," and "Don't go wandering in dark streets without a can of mace.") She'd left late and arrived at 11 at night (thus, the pj's).

Avalon dropped her belongings in the bedroom and carefully extracted her Gameboy Advance and Playstation 2.

"If I'm gonna be isolated," Avalon grinned, "I might as well get some good gameplay in." It wasn't so much a result as a perk. Avalon had been looking forward to playing in peace forever. "Hmmm…" Avalon scratched her chin. "Replay Chain of Memories or start Kingdom Hearts 2?" She cocked her head in thought. She hadn't started her Kingdom Hearts 2 game yet, and she was itching to do so, but she wanted to make sure she remembered all the details of Chain of Memories… "I have plenty of time for both… I think I'll replay Chain of Memories as Riku to gather clues. It's fun trying to predict what'll happen later."

With that, Avalon laid on her bed and turned on the Gameboy Advance, then selected New Game under Reverse/Rebirth. She had only played through the last scene in Hollow Bastion (where Riku fights Maleficent) when sleep overcame her.

0000000000000000000000000000

"Whaaaa?" Avalon jumped out of her fetal position and looked around quickly. "Where the heck am I! How did I get here!"

Her surroundings included pink walls and pillars, stained glass windows, and odd pipes sticking out of the walls and ground. The girl shivered and folded her arms. "It's sooo cold."

All of a sudden, shadows covered the floor and moved toward her with a life of their own. The girl gasped as a realization hit her.  
#(Heartless,)# she thought to herself. #(These are _Heartless_ attacking me!)# Though shaking with fear and cold, Avalon backed toward a pipe lying on the floor and picked it up, holding it like a baseball bat.

"It's a fight you want?" the quivering girl asked the Heartless swarming around her. She adopted a fighting stance. "It's a fight you'll get!" She lunged at the nearest shadow Heartless and hit it across the room, but somehow managed to do no damage whatsoever.

"Crap!" Then Avalon remembered: only certain weapons can harm the Heartless, not just random pipes. "Oh man, what am I supposed to do?" The word that came to mind was "die", but she didn't particularly like that one. So, she continued to hold the Heartless at bay, keeping a circle of Heartless-free floor around her, but that was all she could do: hold them back, not destroy them. #(How long can I keep this up?)# she wondered to herself. #(I have to rest eventually!)#

This went on for a long while. Avalon was panting and sweaty, but determinedly hitting the Heartless swarm away from her. "I… can't… keep this up…" she panted, hitting two more away. "What… … … What can I do?"

Just then, a familiar silver-haired boy dashed into the room and looked around.

As Avalon conked another Heartless, she looked up. Her strikingly blue eyes met the lighter blue of Riku's.

* * *

Alrighty, that's it for this chapter. I'm writing on a restricted schedule here, so I'm not sure I can write much more today. As you can probably guess, this was just an intro: it should get more interesting in the next chapter. Please review. 


	2. Meeting Riku

Well, I finally got a chance to get back on the computer. There are some family issues going on that I have to help with, so that's why it's taking a while. Plus the comp wuz disconnected and i went to band camp (don't judge me!) sooo... This chapter's a bit longer.

Disclaimer: I don't own KH. I own nothing but Avalon.

Last time…

* * *

As Avalon konked another Heartless, she looked up. Her strikingly blue eyes met the lighter blue of Riku. 

000000000000000000000000000

Both pairs of eyes widened in surprise.

Avalon whirled in a circle and kicked two Heartless away from her. Then, she swirled the pipe around her, hitting three more back.

Riku started to get the idea. "Haaaah!" he cried, making a sliding dash at the swarm around Avalon. He destroyed the Heartless behind Avalon with ease, and then stood in front of her protectively. "Are you all right?" he questioned, glancing over his shoulder.

"Y-yeah…"

"Good." Riku raised his weapon to a slashing position. "Don't worry, I'll take care of these." And with a few jumps, slashes, and swipes Riku demolished the rest of the Shadow Heartless. He let his blade disappear, and then walked back to the still panting and sweating girl (who at this point was bending over with her hands on her knees). His expression was both concerned and thoughtful. "Seriously, are you all right?"

Avalon slowly stood up straight. "A little tired and confused," she admitted, "but fine…" She swayed.

"Whoa!" Riku caught her, supporting her by the waist. "This room's safe now. We'll rest here." He eased Avalon to the floor and helped her lean against a wall. Then, he sat next to her and held her to him by the waist, just in case. Avalon's head faced the floor as she panted.

After regaining her breath, she raised her head to the right, meeting Riku's intense and curious gaze.

"So what are you doing here?" Riku asked.

Avalon tilted her head. "Ummmm…" She couldn't exactly say that he was a character in the video game she'd been sucked into. #(I'll just leave that part out…)# she decided. "I'm not entirely sure," she replied truthfully. "One minute I'm asleep in my bed and the next I'm here, surrounded by Heartless."

Riku looked surprised. "So you know what they are?"

Avalon thought quickly. "Yeah," she tried to keep her voice steady as she thought. "They're a bit of a … ghost story where I come from. We've heard of them, but no one thinks they exist." #(True enough.)#

"Oh, they're real all right," Riku stated darkly.

"I noticed."

Riku smiled. "Well, for someone who hasn't been training, you put up a pretty good fight back there." He scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "Most people would've been done for."

Avalon blushed a little bit at the compliment and pretended to look at a pipe conveniently to her left side. "Thanks," she muttered. Then she noticed that Riku still had his arm around her waist, holding her close to him. She blushed harder. "Umm… you can let go of me now…"

Behind her, Riku's face turned bright red as he released her waist and scooted away a bit. "I-I just wanted to make sure you were all right. I didn't mean anything like that …" he blustered.

Avalon turned to face him, a reassuring smile on her face. "I know. Thanks."

Riku regained his composure (with some difficulty). "No problem. Don't mention it."

The girl at his side grinned. "All right, I won't mention that you saved me."

0000000000000000000000000000000

"So, what's with the clothes?" Riku asked as he and Avalon walked across the room toward the hall.

"Waddya mea—oh, CRUD!" The shrimpiness of her outfit hit Avalon at full force as she looked down at herself. Avalon halted (Riku stopped with her) and attempted to cover her chest. Every shirt she'd ever tried on did that. "Dumb dryer!" It was more the volume of her chest than the dryer, but she preferred to believe otherwise. "Well, umm… Like I said, I was trying to go to sleep when I appeared here. I tend to use a blanket no matter how warm it is, so I don't wear heavy clothing when I sleep…"

"You're not kidding." Riku looked her over, blushing a bit.

Avalon got embarrassed. And angry. "Hey!" she barked.

Riku turned a light shade of scarlet. "I, um, it isn't what it looked like!" he stammered defensively.

"Riiight…" Avalon crossed her arms. _Over _her chest.

Riku collected himself, though he was still quite red. "I mean, I was thinking you must be _cold _in that outfit. _I'm _cold." He was serious: there were goose bumps on his bare arms.

Avalon was still suspicious, but she decided to let it slide. Riku _had_ saved her life, after all. She shivered. "True. Yeah, I'm cold." She slapped her forehead as she realized something. "I never introduced myself! I'm Avalon Rain. If it's all right with you, I'd like to stick with you in this castle. I'll do my best to help." She held out her hand and smiled.

Riku took her hand and shook it. He had a firm grip. "Riku." He smiled back. "And don't worry about 'helping' me. I'm more concerned about you. There's Heartless everywhere here."

Avalon grinned as he released her hand. "Oh, I think I'll be able to help as soon as I find a better weapon." They both looked down at the abandoned pipe lying on the floor behind them. "I think I'd do better unarmed."

Riku nodded thoughtfully. "That's probably true. I've heard about people who use martial arts against the Heartless."

"All right!" Avalon pumped a fist in the air. "Martial arts it is!"

With that, the new friends proceeded into the hall.

00000000000000000000000000000000000

Before they could go up the staircase in the hall, a man with long, dirty blond hair popped up in front of them. He was wearing a black, hooded cloak.

#(Vexen!)# Avalon thought, adopting a fighting stance, fists raised.

Beside her, Riku (noticing her reaction) summoned his blade and held it in a slashing position.

The man sneered at both of them. "Well, what have we here? If it isn't Riku. Riku of the dark, who forsook his home and his friends in return for power…"

"Shut up!" Riku shouted, dashing at Vexen and slashing at thin air as Vexen appeared behind him, facing Avalon.

"Like you're one to talk about betrayal," Avalon muttered. It seemed to get Vexen's attention, though.

"And you…" Vexen advanced toward the girl, who nimbly avoided his grip. "I'd better take you with me," Vexen said, forming an ice cage around the girl with a wave of his hand.

"Hey!" Avalon banged against the cage. "Let me OUT!" Not that she actually expected that to work, but it was worth a shot.

"Avalon!" Riku had whirled around in time to see the ice cage form. "Listen, you! Leave her alone!" he shouted, rushing at Vexen. "What does she have to do with anything! Who are you!" Riku slashed at Vexen as he questioned him, each time meeting nothing but air.

Vexen smiled cruelly as he formed a dark portal around the cage, then backed into it. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough." He disappeared into the dark, leaving Riku standing alone at the base of the staircase.

"Avalon!" he shouted at thin air.

* * *

That's it for now! Stay tuned to find out what happens next! 

Please review.


	3. Fateful Encounter

KK. I'm back! Yes, it's taking a while between posts, but things are crazy here and I get yelled at for being on the comp right now! (Don't judge me!) I have like, the entire Chain of Memories time span written out by hand for this story, but the problem is getting time to type it or get online. So, please be patient with me!

This one really is longer than the last two (Six pages. SIX!) Anyway, last time Avalon met Riku and got captured by Vexen.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, there would be a lot less of Disney characters and a lot more Final Fantasy people.

* * *

Avalon shivered inside the ice cage. She'd been cold before, but this was ridiculous! She looked around and saw only darkness, but somehow the girl could tell Vexen was still nearby. "Riku!" she shouted, hoping against all odds that he would hear her. 

Vexen smirked to himself as he led the cage through the darkness. "Do not bother calling for that fool," he stated matter-of-factly. "He can neither hear nor reach you."

Avalon shivered again. She was getting weak from the cold. "W-what do you want from me?" she asked while trying to calm her chattering teeth.

Vexen looked down at her coldly (as if there wasn't enough cold involved). Somehow, he was able to see in the blinding darkness of wherever they were. "I intend to study you. You are unique to this existence, from a world we have not even heard tell of, and have the strongest heart discovered thus far." A chilly smile spread across his face. "You are, after all, the Guardian."

Avalon was practically convulsing with shivers and chattering at this point, but managed to blurt "The… the what?"

Vexen tisked and shook his head. "Don't you even know who you are?"

Suddenly, a light appeared and the darkness was gone. "We're here," Vexen stated plainly.

They were standing in the dark meeting room of Castle Oblivion's basement. The walls were white, but the light was so dim that their shadows merged, making the room the bluish gray shade of nightfall. In a corner of the room sat another black-robed figure, this one with hair that almost matched the color of the room, who leafed through an old-looking book. He was rather handsome, in a pretty sort of way.

"Ah, Vexen, you're back," he said without looking up from the book. "What took so long?"

"Patience, Zexion. I had some extra cargo on the way back." Vexen replied simply. "I found something that will be of use to us."

"What do you mean?" Now, Zexion looked up. When he saw Avalon (who was now on the verge of passing out), his expression went from mild interest to shock. He stood up, put his book on the chair, and walked to where Vexen had sat the ice cage. "Is this…?" Zexion knelt next to the cage, studying Avalon intently. "Is this who I think…? She smells strong enough…"

"I am sure of it," Vexen stated proudly and finally, as though he could not be wrong.

"Well, then," Zexion said as he stood up, "We'd better get her out of this cage."

"Why?"

"You're freezing her."

"How dare you? How ignorant do you think I…" Vexen's voice trailed off as he looked down at the shivering, chattering, passing out girl.

"You were saying?" Zexion asked, crossing his arms.

"D&#mit!" Vexen breathed, snapping his fingers and releasing the girl from her ice prison.

Zexion knelt next to Avalon, examining her dutifully. "Her clothes are wet," he said after taking off one of his black gloves and feeling her tank top (which involved touching a spot Avalon would have kicked him where it hurt for if she hadn't been about to pass out). "It's cold in here to begin with…" Then, he felt her forehead and frowned deeply, turning to meet Vexen's impatient gaze.

"Yes!" Vexen snapped. (Lol. Who was it who lectured about patience?)

Zexion's look was seriously vexin' him (bad pun…).

Zexion looked at the shivering girl on the floor gravely, then at Vexen. "We'd better get her to an upstairs room and get someone from upstairs involved. She has a bad case of hypothermia…"

And with that, Avalon blacked out.

00000000000000000000000000

Avalon awoke in a plain room with flower decorations on the walls, on a bed with sheets, covers, and a pillow. The lighting, from some unseen source, was dim, as though this was a room meant for sleeping. And _everything_ was white.

#(Wh-where am I?)# she wondered, looking around. #(Why all the _white_?)#

She shivered under the thick blanket that covered her. Why was she so cold? The last thing she remembered was walking through a room with Riku and… oh, right. Vexen. Vexen had captured her and taken her to the basement meeting room, where she more or less met Zexion. Why were they so excited and surprised when they saw her, though? It was as though she was some sort of rare, powerful tool.

"W-well…" Avalon murmured to herself through chattering teeth, "I'm not gonna find out laying here…" And she sat up, throwing the covers off. Now she was dizzy. And _freezing_. More than she should be… "Aaaaaah!" she screamed. The girl now saw that she was wearing only her jewelry, her bra, and her underwear. "What happened! Where are my clothes!" She wrapped the blanket around herself self-consciously (and because she was cold).

At that moment, the door opened and Zexion walked in, leading a worried Larxene and a curious Axel.

Axel's green eyes were focused on the other two. "So, Zexy, what do you and Larxene want me to look at? You barley ever say two words to each other, so what has you both so worried?" Then he noticed the scared girl huddled in the covers and fell silent, staring in bewilderment. "Um… this is a new one…"

Larxene closed the door behind her.

Zexion, who had been focusing on Axel, turned to Avalon, his face completely serious. His blue-gray eyes widened a bit in surprise when he noticed that Avalon was awake. The hint of a smile crossed his face, not warm, but not cold like Vexen's. "Ah, you're awake." He walked toward her. "How are you feeling?" he asked, bending over a bit to look at her eyes.

The girl's heart rate increased a bit. Zexion was a pretty good-looking guy, and here he was bending in front of her, looking into her eyes, and asking how she was.

"Ummm…" Avalon blustered, blushing a little. "I… uh… I'm still pretty cold…"

Zexion, looking concerned, took off a glove and felt her forehead, making her blush even more. He sighed and shook his head as he withdrew his hand and put his glove back on. "Well," he said gravely, "the hypothermia's gone, but you have a pretty bad fever… We'll have to keep you here a bit longer."

Leaning against the door with his arms crossed, Axel seemed to be slowly catching on by himself. "Hypothermia…" he muttered, thinking. Then his head snapped up, his shockingly green eyes focusing on Zexion. "Vexen?"

Zexion nodded.

Axel rubbed his chin in thought. "And you don't want Marluxia to find out… But why are _you_ here?" he asked, looking at Larxene questioningly. "You don't strike me as someone Zexy would come running to."

Larxene smiled mischievously. "You're right, he didn't come to me. But I was taking a little walk when I saw him carrying a wet, unconscious, shivering girl through the halls in his arms…"

Avalon blushed yet again. #(Zexion carried me here? In his arms?)# She looked at Zexion, who seemed a bit too stiff and indifferent to not be acting. Thankfully for Avalon, her blush went unnoticed by the others, as they were now engrossed in their conversation.

"…So I thought," Larxene continued, striking an innocent pose, "that I should follow him and find out what was going on."

Axel looked amused. He turned to Zexion, a cocky look on his face. "Wow, Zexy. You must've been really worried to not notice Larxene following you. Or even her scent."

Zexion was silent. He really was quite rigid.

Axel seemed to think so, too. He fell silent, but continued watching "Zexy" with a very thoughtful gaze, rubbing his chin occasionally.

As enlightening as that conversation was, Avalon remembered that she was practically naked under her covers. "Um, I have a question," she piped up, making the three Organization members jump and turn to her. They had almost forgotten she was there. Despite Avalon's obvious discomfort, she continued speaking without faltering. "Where the _heck_ are my clothes, and who took them off!" Avalon had very little tolerance for such things.

Axel looked at Zexion, feigning amazement and pointing at him with an outstretched arm. "Zexy, you…" he said in mock disgust, "You pervert!"

Larxene laughed. Axel's antics were usually quite amusing to watch, as long as they weren't directed at her.

Zexion rolled his eyes. "You know very well it wasn't me," he replied evenly, then turned back to Avalon. "When I went to set you on the bed, I heard sniggering from behind the crack in the door. I went to investigate and found Larxene, then asked her to remove the wet clothing while I left the room."

"Aaaw, aren't you a gentleman?" Axel remarked, grinning snidely. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.

Zexion continued to try to ignore him, though there appeared to be a twitch developing below his left eye.

Larxene cocked her head innocently in response to Zexion's implied complaint about her following him. "Oh, common, Zexion," she said smiling. "Aren't you glad I followed you? What would you have done without me?"

"Gotten Axel."

"Oooh, _owned_! With a p, w, n!" Axel exclaimed, pointing at Larxene enthusiastically. (Yes, "powned". My advice: if ya don't know, don't ask.)

Larxene pouted.

Avalon couldn't help but sigh in a mix of relief and exasperation. Neither she nor these people wanted Marluxia to find her. They all knew that whatever ensued if he did would probably be unpleasant for all involved parties. #(So,)# she supposed #(We'll probably be looking out for each other for a little while.)# She looked back at the three inhabitants of Castle Oblivion gathered at her bedside.

Larxene was pouting about being "unwanted", Axel was laughing and continuing to tease Zexion, and Zexion's face (which only Avalon could see) had a silent desire for murder written all over it.

#(This… is going to be interesting…)#

* * *

Like I said, things are crazy here, so I'll update as much and as often as I can. 

Please comment!


	4. Introductions

Sorry, but I just have to ask before I get started: has anyone seen Dead Man's Chest yet? Mom actually gave me a little break and let me go with a few friends to see it on opening day! I was really excited, because I've been looking forward to this movie for_ever _and I've never seen a movie on opening day. I was worried that Disney might mess up a second POTC (you know, the Disney sequel curse), but they DIDN'T! It was awesome! I won't say anything else for those of you who haven't seen it (or don't care), but if you liked the first movie, GO SEE THE SECOND!

Ahem. Ok, enough ranting for me. On with the story!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Avalon. Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

* * *

Avalon lied down with the covers still wrapped around her. She was (as Zexion had noticed earlier) considerably fevered, and merely talking and observing had exhausted her. She fell asleep in seconds. 

"You know," Larxene whispered to the others, looking at Avalon as she shifted in her sleep. "If I had a heart, I might be worried about her." But as it was, Larxene felt no emotions; she only remembered what she might have felt.

Axel's eyes narrowed as he watched the sleeping girl. It was odd. He almost did feel concern. It didn't quite feel like a memory, but he decided to ignore it. His imagination must have been getting the better of him. After all, Nobodies don't have hearts.

Zexion stood silently, also studying Avalon. "You know…" he said thoughtfully, "If I had a heart…"

Axel shook his head, cutting the other man off. "Will you listen to us? 'If I had a heart.' That's all we say."

Larxene nodded. "Axel's right," she said. "We need to stop obsessing. We don't have hearts, and that's just how it is. Deal with it. Besides," she added, a smile flickering across her face. "If the Superior's plan works, we'll have hearts soon enough."

They all stood by the bed, looking at the girl and thinking their individual thoughts.

Larxene broke the silence. "I'd better go to the meeting room," she whispered, turning to leave. "Marluxia will notice if we're both missing." She looked at Axel as she said this.

Axel nodded in agreement.

"Don't do anything… _inappropriate_ while I'm gone," Larxene teased, winking and walking out the door.

Once she was gone, Zexion rolled his eyes and looked at Axel. "_This_ is why we never say two words to each other."

"Ah," the red-haired Nobody replied, smirking.

They both returned their attention to Avalon.

After a while, Axel looked questioningly at Zexion. "Hey, Zexy?"

"Why _must _you call me Zexy?" Zexion asked heavily. This was a fairly new nickname.

"It's fun." Axel grinned, then grew solemn again. "But, seriously. Do you know where her clothes are now?"

Zexion motioned to a corner of the room. Axel's eyes followed the motion, then rested on the tank top and pj bottoms spread out flat on the floor (which was clean enough to eat off of mind you). Next to those sat the tennis shoes.

Axel walked over and examined the clothes. "Weird," he muttered, bending down to get a closer look. "Odd choice of clothes."

Zexion nodded. "We can ask about it when she wakes up."

"Yeah…" Axel stared at the clothes thoughtfully. "Wonder where she comes from?"

"Who knows?" Zexion asked indifferently. "She's probably not sure herself. Vexen told me she has no clue how she ended up here."

"Hmmm…" Axel stared at the clothes some more, then gathered them up (including the shoes) and stood.

"What are you doing?" Zexion asked in surprise.

Axel, who was on his way out the door, looked over his shoulder to reply. "They'll never dry at this rate. I'm going to the next room to speed things up a bit. You stay here and guard her." Without waiting for a reply, he opened the door and walked through it, leaving Zexion alone with the sleeping girl and his thoughts.

"Well," the bluish-haired man told the sleeping figure quietly. "It seems the prophecy was right. You certainly have an interesting effect on us…" As he gazed at the girl's face what he'd started to say to the others earlier, but hadn't dared to finish, came back to his mind. Zexion looked around, then softly whispered to the sleeping figure, "If I had a heart… you might have been the one I'd have fallen in love with."

0000000000000000000000000000000

Avalon woke up and looked around the room. Zexion was sitting in a chair against the door, reading a book (the same one he was reading when Avalon first saw him), and apparently guarding the entrance.

Axel and Larxene were nowhere to be seen.

Avalon attempted to sit up, but a pain in her head made her fall back down with a groan. Zexion looked up from his book, an expression of concern on his face. "What's wrong?"

Avalon was lying on the bed, her hands on her head and her teeth gritted against the sharp pain. The covers were still over any embarrassing areas, though she was in too much pain to think about it. "Mmmmurg…" she groaned vaguely.

Zexion quickly sat the book down and went to stand by the bed, his glove off to feel her forehead. He winced as he felt that her fever had jumped up. "D&#mit," he hissed under his breath.

Just then, Axel popped into the room. "Umm… Zexy? Bad news…" Then he noticed Zexion's face and the fact that his hand was on the girl's forehead. In an instant, he was kneeling on the other side of the bed, bad news forgotten. "Has it gone up?" he asked, his green eyes meeting Zexion's blue-gray.

"Yes," Zexion said quietly.

"D&#mit! How much!" Axel felt a familiar sinking sensation in his stomach and dismissed it as a very strong memory.

Zexion took a deep breath, then withdrew his hand and slipped his glove back on. "I'd say…" he replied cautiously, "That she's hit 103 degrees."

"WHAT?" Axel's eyes widened in dismay.

Zexion turned away from the bed and strode toward the door. He stopped abruptly and turned to Axel. "Take care of her. I'm going to find Vexen."

Axel looked at Zexion incredulously. "Can we trust him?"

Zexion's face resembled that of someone walking to the gallows. "Perhaps you've forgotten, but Vexen already knows. We can't change that."

"Oh, yeah…" Axel had a bad feeling about that.

"Besides," Zexion continued darkly, "can we really trust each other?" And with that, he wheeled toward the door and was gone, leaving Axel to ponder that thought.

000000000000000000000000000

When her headache subsided enough for her to open her eyes, Avalon turned her head and saw Axel standing near (but not by) the bed. The red-haired man had his eyes closed and was massaging his temples and looking very stressed.

"Are you all right?" she asked quietly, concerned about the usually smirking man.

"Hmmm?" Axel asked, continuing to massage his temples with his eyes closed. "Oh," he stopped and looked at the girl nonchalantly. "I'm fine, just thinking about some things."

The truth was, Axel was protecting this girl only to keep her away from Marluxia. True, he preferred she didn't die, but she meant next to nothing to him. He didn't even know her name. Now, he was worried that going to Vexen would defeat his entire purpose. #(Then again…)# the man thought, stroking his chin in thought, #(Vexen hates Marluxia more than anyone. I really can't see him tattling to his worst enemy…)#

Axel stared at the girl's deep blue eyes. Was that concern he read there? "Why do you care?" he asked bluntly, his curiosity getting the better of him.

She cocked her head. "What do you mean? Do I need a reason to care about somebody?"

Axel snorted. "Well then, you still shouldn't worry about me." He put a hand over his chest and recited the memorized facts that meant so much to all Nobodies. "I have no heart. I can't feel. I'm a Nobody."

The girl shook her head. "I don't know _what_ you're talking about. You definitely have feelings. And of course you're somebody!" (Note: She doesn't know about the whole Nobody and Organization XIII thing because she hasn't played Kingdom Hearts II yet. Those issues aren't addressed in Chain of Memories.)

Axel, completely unsure of how to react, decided to act indifferent. "Whatever," he stated shortly, crossing his arms. "Waste your time caring, but don't expect me to care back. I don't even know anything about you. I'm just protecting you to keep you away from Marluxia."

To Axel's complete dismay, the girl appeared to be hurt. #(Why does she care?)# he asked himself. He looked at her sad eyes, then sighed and held out his hand. "The name's Axel. Got it memorized?"

Avalon smiled. She'd known his name before the introduction. She'd known before she met him, just like the others in Castle Oblivion. But she couldn't let anyone know that, and anyway, Axel's telling her showed that he did care (at least a little), despite anything he said. "Yeah." She took his hand. "Avalon Rain, 17 years old. Nice to meet you, Axel."

And Axel was taken aback to see that she meant it.

* * *

That's all for now! If I try to upload anything bigger, my computer might crash. Stay tuned! 

Please review (Thanx to those of you who have!) I could use some feedback


	5. Suspicion and Clothes Issues

Sorry it's been so long! First we were out of town and I had no computer access, then our Internet service changed and we had… issues. So now, I'll just type until I get kicked off the computer! Here goes!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. Just Avalon. Poor lonely Avalon. I'm sure she feels so left out…

* * *

"Umm… Axel?" Avalon asked after a while, looking curiously at the redhead guarding the door. 

"Hmm?"

"Do you know where my clothes ended up?"

Axel, looking uncomfortable, scratched the back of his head. "Uh. Yeah. About that…"

Avalon cocked her head, listening intently.

"I, umm, tried to make them dry faster… I can control fire, see…" He was beating around the bush. He really hoped he wouldn't have to tell her.

"Fire? Cool!" Avalon exclaimed, completely forgetting the clothes. "That explains the hair!" She smiled. "Is that natural, by the way?"

Axel blinked. "What?"

"You know, the spikes and the color," Avalon went on, smiling warmly. "It's different, but it looks really good on you!"

"Uh."

Avalon laughed. It was funny watching Axel be completely confused.

Axel couldn't help but chuckle along. "Yes, it's natural," he replied, a real smile on his face. He regarded the girl in front of him, a mock serious look on his face. "Well, what about your lips?"

"Huh?" The girl wasn't quite used to being asked about her lips.

"Yeah." Axel crossed his arms. "They're ruby colored! That's not natural. That only happens with lipstick." He smirked cockily.

"Oh." Avalon laughed. "That's natural. Are you kidding? I'm too lazy to mess with make up!"

"But how…?"

The girl shrugged and cocked her head. "Talent?" (Avalon's answer to all unanswerable questions in life.)

"Right…" Axel replied, the hint of an amused smile flitting across his face. "That's not normal, you know."

Avalon pointed at Axel and laughed. "Says the guy with spiky red hair and black teardrop-shaped markings under bright green eyes."

The man scratched the back of his head. #(She got me…)# "All right, all right," he said, putting his hands up in defeat. "But you _did_ say the hair looks good on me."

"It does," Avalon replied, surveying him with her strikingly blue eyes. "So does the rest of the stuff I mentioned. It's different, but it looks good."

Axel re-crossed his arms and smirked. "So, you're saying I'm hot." He expected Avalon to bluster and say "no" in horror. He just wanted to tease her. To his utter bewilderment, the girl blushed and was silent.

"…" She turned away from the door (and, thus, Axel), trying to hide the blush.

"Um…" For some reason, Axel felt like he liked this reaction. He shook his head dismissively. Nobodies were incapable of emotion. #(Just my imagination,)# he thought to himself. He laughed, putting on an air of cockiness once again and walking to the bedside. "_That's _natural. I am fire, after all."

Avalon, having conquered her blushing, turned back around to find Axel standing at her pillow and looking down at her in thought. "Well, I'm guessing your fever's dropped," he said. "I mean, you're acting a lot more… energetic. And you can stay awake." He took off a black glove and placed his hand on her head. "Hmm," he tilted his head, considering. "My senses aren't as sharp as Zexy's… that's the guy who brought you here… but I think your temperature's back to normal." The man withdrew his hand and put his glove back on, his green eyes studying the girl seriously. "Can you sit up?"

Avalon sat up slowly; nearly forgetting about her lack of clothes and almost letting the covers fall. She caught them at the last second and held them over her chest, blushing profusely.

#(What the h--l?)# Axel thought. #(Why's my face feel hot? Am I… _blushing_?)# He turned toward the door quickly.

Avalon didn't notice that Axel was blushing almost as much as her.

"Umm…" She looked at the man's back while holding the covers firmly over her chest. "So… where _are _my clothes?"

"Well, you see…" Axel started.

Just then, the door began to open slowly.

In an instant, Axel summoned his chakrams and stood in front of Avalon protectively, bristling like a cat. As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, protecting her wasn't just business anymore.

00000000000000000000000000000

The door swung open, revealing … Zexion (how anticlimactic), who was carrying a glass of water and a wet washcloth. He raised an eyebrow at the redhead (who was standing in front of Avalon holding his flaming chakrams) and walked through the doorway, closing the door behind him.

Axel let his arms fall to his sides and stood up straight, looking relieved. "Oh, Zexy. It's only you." The weapons disappeared.

"Zexy" shot Axel a look that would have killed any normal person. "Zexion," he said in a dangerously quiet voice. "It's Zexion. Not Zexy. I've put up with it the last twenty times. I would advise you to quit while you're ahead. I'm really not in the mood."

Axel crossed his arms. "You never _said_ it annoyed you."

Avalon, unnoticed by Zexion, let out a soft giggle, making Axel smirk. Finally, someone else had a sense of humor.

Zexion didn't even give Axel's comment the honor of a response. Axel knew very well how he felt. "Vexen refused to help," he sighed, purposely changing the subject. "He said the fever would 'blow over.'" Looking surprisingly worried, the man looked past Axel to Avalon. "You're awake?" he asked in genuine surprise. "How are you feeling?" He sat down the water and washcloth and walked to the side of the bed.

"Much better, thanks to you two," the girl replied with a smile.

Axel rubbed the back of his neck and walked toward a wall, mumbling, "I really didn't do anything…"

"How's the fever?" Zexion asked, making a move to take off his glove.

"Axel checked. He said he's pretty sure I'm back to normal."

"_Axel_ checked?" Zexion sent a shocked look at the red-haired man, who was now apparently engrossed in his examination of a 3-D marble flower sticking out of the wall.

"I wonder if I could set this on fire…?" the pyro mused to himself, at a soft enough volume that only Zexion heard.

"Why is that weird?" Avalon asked Zexion, tilting her head in curiosity.

"…" Zexion made no response at first, instead answering the question in his head. Axel wasn't generally that easy to get close to. As a rule, Axel almost never cared about anyone's well-being unless it suited him (not that any Organization member was different…) The only exception so far was Organization XIII's number XIII: Roxas. "No reason…" The bluish-haired Organization member adopted his pondering look, his dark eyes following Axel's rigid movements carefully.

Axel knew without looking that Zexion was studying him, trying to discover a weakness in his "no attachments" policy. He'd prefer that didn't happen.

Avalon looked from Zexion to Axel, seeing tension but completely clueless as to the cause. "Question," she said suddenly, raising one hand into the air and holding the blanket up with the other.

Axel and Zexion looked at her and blinked, then looked at one another.

"Alright," Axel conceded, apparently speaking for both of them. He walked back to the bedside (beside Zexion) and crossed his arms. "It's about time for a Q and A." His green eyes focused on the girl. "What do you want to know?"

Just behind Axel, Zexion stood ready to answer any questions his coworker couldn't (or wouldn't).

"Ummm…" Avalon put her hand down and considered. She hadn't expected it to be that easy. #(Hmmm… What to ask first?)# She had so many questions. Then, she remembered something Vexen had said to her. "Alright." She looked at Axel, who was standing next to her, watching her intently. "First question: Vexen said something about me being the 'Guardian' and not knowing who I am… and my heart and existence being different and stuff like that."

Axel involuntarily jumped, his eyes wide. "The Guardian! Avalon, you're the _Guardian?_" He shot an accusing look at Zexion, who was trying his best to look innocent. "Why the h--l didn't you _tell _me?"

Zexion's gaze was cold as he stared back at the other man. "And since when did I report to you?"

#(Oh, so _that's _how it is,)# Axel thought darkly, rubbing his chin in thought. He got it. The Undergrounders were up to something: something that involved Avalon. Not that Marluxia and Larxene were exactly innocent as far as scheming was concerned. The corners of Axel's mouth twitched slightly. One thing was for sure; things were about to get interesting in this boring castle. #(Anyway,)# Axel thought, putting his hand down, #(better not let them know I'm onto them.)# He glanced at Avalon, who was staring at him with a look of mingled concern and curiosity on her face. Axel shook his head slightly, so only she would notice. #(Later. I'll tell you what's going on later.)#

Avalon nodded, just as slightly. Axel had no idea how, but somehow she'd gotten the message.

"Alright," he said, pretending he didn't suspect anything. "Explaining the Guardian thing. This… could take a while." He sat next to Avalon on the bed, making her blush a little.

"Before you start explaining," Zexion said, noticing Avalon's blush and staring disgustedly at the bold Axel. "Perhaps you could fetch her clothes. She looks a bit… uncomfortable."

Axel, appearing surprised, looked at the girl at his side.

Avalon blushed deeper and stammered, "I-it's not you… It's just-"

Axel cut her off. "You don't like being half-naked around two guys. Any decent girl would feel that way." He scratched the back of his head again. "Don't know how I forgot that…" Now he looked uncomfortable. "Anyway, ummm… Remember what I started telling you while Zexy was gone?"

Zexion clenched his fists to keep himself from slapping the red-haired man at the use of his nickname.

Axel was squirming. "You know, about the clothes?" He glanced at the girl, who looked back up at him curiously. #(D#$n, I hate telling her…)# "Look, I'm sorry, alright?"

Avalon's deep blue eyes searched Axel questioningly. #(What the heck is he talking about?)#

"Axel," Zexion said, staring coldly at him. "You accidentally burned the clothes, didn't you?"

"Er." Axel winced and looked away from Avalon.

The girl groaned. This was just great. #(Just my luck, though…)#

Axle stood up resolutely and looked back down at her. "Don't worry," he said reassuringly. "I'll find something…" He turned his gaze to Zexion, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the sight of his fidgeting companion. "Do you know where Marluxia keeps the extra cloaks and boots?"

"Hmmm…" the younger Organization member once again adopted his pondering look. "It's been a while since I left the basement, except to go to my room… Try the room next to Marluxia's. That's where they were when-" He stopped himself, hoping Axel hadn't figured out what he was about to say. #(That's where they were when we found Roxas.)# Axel had been quite touchy ever since his only friend had struck out on his own, thus defying the Organization. Somehow Zexion didn't think mentioning that friend would make his time around Axel any more enjoyable.

Axel, thankfully, didn't take time to think about it. Instead, he focused on the "next to Marluxia's room" part and groaned. #(Just what we all need,)# he thought sarcastically. #(A raid next to his room.)# "Can't we just steal someone else's uniform?" he whined. "Like Demyx?" Axel grinned to himself at the thought. "We could summon him, surround him, and beat him up!" He stared at Zexion eagerly. "C'mon, you're with me, right?"

Zexion stared at Axel blankly. "As appealing as that plan is," he began, a look of longing flitting across his face. "It would cause a few… problems."

"Like what?"

"Like Demyx wandering around Castle Oblivion in his rock star clothes whining to everyone that we beat him up and took his uniform."

Axel slumped sadly. "You have a point there…" He glanced at Avalon, who was watching them while holding the covers over her chest, and sighed in defeat. "Alright, alright. I'll go look for the cloaks." He appeared apprehensive. "I might need a distraction, though."

Zexion smirked knowledgably. "Don't worry about that. Vexen wants to test something upstairs anyway. Just be there when he arrives."

Axel nodded, glanced at Avalon again, and then turned around and walked through the door, closing it behind him.

* * *

Ooook. I think this is gonna be the best stopping point I can get to tonight. It's like 8 ½ pages long, so I hope it makes up for how long it's been since my last update. 

Pleeeeeeeeeease review! Pleeeeeease! Gets on hands and knees and begs. I'd really like to know what you guys think and if there's any improvements I can make, and I'm not getting much feedback. I can't get better if I don't know what the readers think! Thanks to the 5 people who have reviewed so far! Glad you like it!


	6. Uniforms and Explanations

Before I start, I'd like to say thank you! I went from five reviews to eighteen! I appreciate all the feedback, and I'm soooo glad people like my story! Cookies to BlackDragonofdarknessflames, randomreader, Oceananimals75, StarPup, I LOVE SORA AND DANNY, Axel's Girlfriend, ChristinaDeath666, Shadow of Darkness 22, VIII, angeloftorment, Ferocia, Shadow of Darkness 22, m3thod-mak3r, and ShadowShapeshifterAndHerCat

Btw, did anyone go to Otakon? There were at LEAST 20 Axels, though most of them were girls… There was a Cloud carting around like 5 Buster Blades, and there was a _really_ good Reno! Oh, and this Jack Sparrow my friends and I were talking to got into a sword/lightsaber fight with Darth Vader! It was priceless! Naturally, I was taking pictures like a maniac…

Aaaaanyway…

Disclaimer: I don't own nuthin but Avalon!

PS: due to technical difficulties, all thoughts will be in a #( )# sort of pattern from now on.

* * *

Zexion and Avalon stared after Axel for a while. Then the Nobody walked to his chair, grabbed the cup of water, and walked to the bedside, holding out the water to Avalon. "Are you thirsty?"

The girl nodded and took the glass. "Thank you," she said shyly, then tilted the cup and drank all the water in a few seconds. She really was quite thirsty.

When she looked up, Zexion was sitting in his chair (which was magically next to the bed now), staring at her thoughtfully. "How…?" he asked when he realized he had her attention, "How do you trust us so much?"

Avalon, looking taken aback at the question, inquired, "What do you mean?" She studied Zexion. Is that… guilt on his face?

The man's dark eyes bored into her. "You didn't have a choice at first. You were sick. But you don't seem worried under our supervision. Understandably uncomfortable, but not worried or scared." He motioned toward the empty glass in her hand. "Then I hand you this drink without telling you what it is and you drink it in a few seconds without even asking. How do you know we won't hurt you?"

Avalon tilted her head to the side in thought. "Talent?" She looked down and mulled it over. It wasn't like their characters had appeared trustworthy in Chain of Memories. Why _did_ she trust them? "I'm not sure. I just… _know_ you and Axel won't hurt me." She looked up at Zexion, whose eyes searched her raptly.

"…" He could think of nothing to say. To his surprise, he realized that she was right. He didn't have it in him to hurt the girl in any way. "If we had hearts…" Zexion began, a brooding sort of smile crossing his face, "I'd say you were melting them."

"If we had hearts"? Avalon wanted to ask what he meant, but felt like this was one instance where she should just kind of smile and nod. So, she watched him silently, blushing a bit and unsure of how to react. "Why," she asked sadly after a while. "Why are you and Axel both so sad? So… lonely?"

Zexion's expression hardened a bit. "We aren't," he responded in an automatic, learned sort of way. "We're Nobodies. We have no hearts. We have no emotions. We only remember what it was like to feel and long to feel again."

Avalon didn't understand, but she did somehow sense that longing, that paralyzing sadness. But… "How can you long for something if you have no emotions?"

Zexion looked at her, confused. She had a point: longing and sadness were emotions. Did that mean… he was actually able to feel? "How old _are_ you?" he asked, sounding mildly amused. "You look like a young woman, but you speak like an elder."

The girl smiled. "Seventeen." She shook her head. "Sorry, I'm terrible at remembering introductions. My name's Avalon."

Zexion smiled. Avalon was the mythical home of magic, pure and mysterious. "A fitting name. I'm Zexion."

Avalon also smiled. "Yeah, Axel told me. Actually, he said you were 'Zexy', but it sounded too much like he had a cold and was calling you 'sexy' for me to take him seriously…"

"Ugh." Zexion managed to look annoyed while suppressing a snort of amusement. "Why do you think I hate that nickname so much?"

"You two don't seem to get along very well."

"That's an understatement."

"But why?" Avalon wished they would work together, help each other. But she knew that Axel would eventually cause Zexion's death. Why do they hate each other so much? She understood why most of the Castle Oblivion inhabitants sided against Vexen or Marluxia, but why did Zexion and Axel hate each other? "Don't you two have the same goals or something? I mean, you're both in this organization thing."

Zexion's nose twitched and he looked away toward the door. "He's coming."

"How do you…?"

"I can smell him." He turned back to Avalon quickly. "But know this," he whispered intensely. "It is likely you will soon have to choose a side. There will be more than just two." His blue-grey eyes held Avalon's blue. "Choose wisely."

With that, Zexion picked up his book and resumed his reading.

The door swung open and revealed a grinning (and oblivious) Axel, who held a folded black cloak, a pair of matching gloves, and a pair of black boots. "Well," he remarked, walking through the doorway and closing the door. "That was fun." Neither Zexion nor Avalon could tell whether he was being sarcastic or not. Such is Axel's nature.

Zexion looked up from his book and sighed as Avalon stared at the other man questioningly. "What happened, Axel?" he asked, attempting to be patient. He supposed Axel was waiting for someone to ask.

The redhead carried the uniform and sat down on the bed beside Avalon. "Let's just say Vexen didn't help and there were… complications." What he didn't say was that Vexen had started leaking information to Sora, and so he had taken the liberty of… _disposing_ of him.

Avalon looked to Axel, who was on her right. "Well, um… thank you…" she said shyly, blushing as he handed her the clothes.

"Ugh," Zexion remarked, pretending to be engrossed in his book.

"Well," Axel said, standing up and pulling Zexion out of his chair by the arm. ("Hey!" the man exclaimed), "We'll be right outside."

Zexion jerked his arm away from Axel and stomped out the door, Axel following close behind.

As soon as the door closed, Avalon stood up and finally let the covers fall. She shivered. She had forgotten how cold the castle was. "Well now…" the girl slipped the black gloves onto her hands, and then unfolded the cloak. It was actually her sort of style: tight, black, and a few silver chains near the neck area. She unzipped it, slipped it on, and zipped it up.

"Crap…" she muttered. The cloak, like so much else, wasn't cut for her bust. The cloak hugged every curve closely, and dropped a bit due to the volume of her chest, exposing a considerable amount of cleavage with the v-neck. The bottom of the zipper fell at about the length of a very short skirt, but it covered everything. Albeit very tightly, but it covered everything. She sighed. At least the cloak kept her warm and covered her bottom half and most of the top.

Next, she slipped on the silver-lined black boots. They came up to a bit below her knees (a little longer than the other boots were on the Organization members), had roundish fronts rather than pointed toes like Larxene's, and heels about 2 ½ inches long. They also hugged her curves, showing off the shape of her legs.

Avalon looked down, inspecting herself with a self-conscience eye. "I wish there was a mirror…" she said to herself. "Oh well. Time to get the guys."

Before she could reach the door, there was an impatient knock. "You done yet?" Axel's voice called through the door.

"Yea," Avalon replied, just loud enough for the man with his ear to the door to hear.

"Okay, we're coming in."

The door swung open, revealing the frozen figures of Axel (his arm still out in door-opening position) and Zexion behind him (arms crossed in a grumpy, indifferent sort of pose). Their eyes, bright green and grayish-blue, studied the girl.

"Wow," Axel commented with wide eyes, putting his arm down. "You know, I think the sexy Organization uniform was _made_ for you." (He'd always called the uniforms "sexy" if anyone complained about the tight fit.)

Avalon laughed. "Yeah, right." She didn't believe he meant it.

Axel scratched the back of his head. #(D--n, she's hot.)# He didn't like admitting anything out loud, though. It was good she thought he was teasing. He once again regained his cocky air and walked through the door, Zexion following behind, both their eyes still on Avalon.

"Axel, I'm surprised," Zexion smirked as he closed the door. "It would appear you've done something right."

"Yeah, it would," Axel agreed, oblivious to the implied insult and rubbing his chin in thought.

Avalon, thinking they were referring to the _retrieval_ of the cloak, didn't say anything. Instead, she looked down at herself and attempted to adjust the cloak to cover her chest, and succeeded. Then she realized that while her chest was now covered, the bottom of the zipper had been hiked up to an area that was _really_ not meant to be exposed by anything other than a bathing suit.

Three faces turned the color of Axel's hair.

As Avalon blustered, trying to get the cloak back to its original position, Axel and Zexion looked at each other, each noticing the other blushing furiously. Axel's eyes narrowed and Zexion's eyebrows went up. Their own little way of saying "Back off, perv!"

Completely oblivious, Avalon (having "fixed" her clothes) looked from one to the other worriedly. "Did you have a fight in the hall?"

Both guys jumped and looked at her.

"Uh," Axel ran a hand through his hair uncomfortably. "Yeah, that's it."

Zexion sighed, his expression back to its usual state of being unreadable. "Axel," he said in an attempt at a patient tone, "I believe you were explaining something before you went to find the cloak…" He looked at Axel pointedly.

Axel stared back at him, confused. "Huh?" He thought for a few seconds. "Oh! Right! The 'Guardian' thing which I _can't believe you didn't tell me about to begin with!_"

"Yes. That." Zexion replied, indifferent to Axel's complaint.

Axel walked across the room (muttering under his breath the whole way) and once again sat beside Avalon on the bed.

Zexion rolled his eyes.

"Anyway…" Axel said, taking his eyes off Zexion's annoyed look and turning his head to face Avalon by resting his elbow on his knee and resting his head on his hand.

Avalon's heart sped up again. Axel's face was only about a foot away from hers. She'd liked him as a game character (Zexion and Riku too, but Axel more so), but in real life he was an absolute heartthrob! She tried her best to shake off the feeling. Crushes, particularly on hot guys, were nothing but trouble for her.

"The Guardian thing…" Axel continued, completely oblivious to his effect on her. "Not much is known about the Guardian, but there are a few prophecies… and the Organization did some research…"

"The Organization?" Avalon interrupted. (Remember, it's NOT explained in Chain of Memories, so she doesn't know! She's just heard it mentioned a few times.)

Axel smiled in a mix of exasperation and amusement. "You know, for someone who wants to know something, you sure interrupt a lot."

"ADD," Avalon said, pointing to her head and smiling. "I have minor ADD. It's a small enough case that I can deal with it without any outside aid." Then, she laughed. "But it still shows sometimes, I guess."

Axel thought back to their first conversation and how it jumped to his hair color. "No kidding."

"Organization XIII…" the forgotten Zexion started, making Avalon and Axel jump and turn to him. The man was leaning against the back of his chair (which appeared to have migrated back to the door) carelessly. "Organization XIII is a group of high-ranking Nobodies who are working together to regain the hearts they lost."

"Nobodies?" Avalon asked, cocking her head in thought. "Wait! You and Axel both told me you're Nobodies! I thought you meant like no one. Nobody. You know what I mean…"

Both Axel and Zexion felt a pang, which both of them dismissed as a memory of a feeling. Was that why she cared? Because she didn't understand?

"So Nobodies don't have hearts or emotions?"

Zexion nodded slowly. Axel looked away. Neither of them particularly wanted to see her disgusted with them.

"Bah!" Avalon stood up and exclaimed. Axel's head snapped back to her. "That's bull! I don't know about hearts, but you two _do _have emotions! Why do you sound sad when you talk about things like this? How can you have desires like the desire to reclaim your hearts? How can Axel annoy you?" She asked compellingly, looking Zexion in the eye. "How can you feel guilty about burning my clothes?" she demanded, whirling around to lock eyes with Axel.

"They aren't feelings…" Axel said dully, meeting her gaze.

"Just the memory of what it was like to feel," Zexion finished in a similar tone.

"Memory…" Avalon repeated, deep in thought. "Why would you lose your ability to feel… your heart?"

"That's easy," Axel began, looking as though he felt smart. "See, we lost our hearts to the Heartless after we… er…"

"Died," Zexion finished, watching Avalon carefully.

The girl stared back at him, mouth slightly open, then collapsed back onto the bed, next to Axel.

"Yeah, that's it." Axel waved a hand in what he hoped was a dismissive manner. "I'm still not quite used to saying that."

"So…" Avalon, having regained enough composure to talk, began to ask. "You two are _dead?_"

Axel scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. Zexion gave a slight nod.

"But how are you not Heartless?"

Zexion, being the one who was there when the first Nobodies were created, took over the answering of this question. "All that goes into a Heartless is the darkness of a heart. They _retain _the heart, but do not use it. When someone with a particularly strong heart becomes a Heartless, his or her body begins to think and move with a life of its own. This is a Nobody." He adopted his thinking pose. "For some reason, those with _exceptionally_ strong hearts retain their human appearance (with a few differences, of course) when they become Nobodies." He studied Avalon. Now would she be repulsed?

"So…" Avalon looked from a serious Axel at her side to a contemplative Zexion in front of her, "You _literally_ have no hearts?"

Axel nodded, then jumped as the girl scooted closer and put her head on his chest. "What are you _doing_?" he asked in puzzlement. Not that he minded… In fact, he seemed to like being near this girl.

Zexion rolled his eyes at the pleased look on Axel's face.

Leaning against Axel's chest, Avalon listened hard. There was the sound of breathing: Axel's chest rose and fell rhythmically. But there was no heartbeat. "How is this even anatomically possible?" she muttered to herself.

Appearantly, Axel heard this, because he chuckled softly, sending a slight spasm through his chest.

That was when the girl realized she was sitting up against him with her head on his chest. Blushing, she pushed herself off of him and scooted away a little bit.

The man tried his hardest to hide his disappointment. Then, his eyes widened as something hit him (no, not literally). "You know, Zexy," he said, looking at the now visibly annoyed Nobody. "I think we might actually have emotions." He held up a hand and continued before Zexion could argue. "Think about just now. Avalon was right. You actually are annoyed with me, aren't you?"

"What was your first indication?"

"You want to exact revenge at the use of your nickname?"

"Oh, yes." A look of longing not unlike when Axel mentioned beating Demyx up crossed Zexion's face.

"Ah hah!" Axel shouted in triumph, pointing at the bewildered man across from him. "Annoyance and a thirst for revenge! Those are feelings!"

Avalon nodded and smiled at Axel. "Exactly."

Axel returned the smile with a pleased smirk, and then turned back to Zexion, who was deep in thought. "Maybe… there are just certain emotions that are rare for us," the redhead reasoned aloud, "but are brought on by certain situations or people."

Zexion silently began to reach the same conclusion. "Just because our hearts are gone…" he said slowly, "does not mean we can't feel!" He looked up at the two smiling people in front of him. "It only makes it harder!"

Avalon nodded, and Axel clapped his hands in his sounds-like-mocking manner, an arrogant smirk plastered on his face. "Yay! You got it, Zexy!" He stopped clapping and rubbed the back of his head. "But seriously, how was _I _the first Nobody who got it?"

"Demyx," Zexion replied, dawning realization on his face.

"Oh…" Axel, too, looked surprised. "Alright, new question. How the _h--l_ did a twerp like Demyx understand before us?"

Zexion shrugged. "He's a musician…? More in tune with his feelings…?"

Avalon looked from Axel to Zexion curiously. "Demyx?"

Both men groaned.

"Don't worry," Axel said in an exasperated tone, waving his hand to emphasize his point. "You'll probably meet him eventually."

Zexion looked worried. "They'd probably get along, too…"

Axel shot him a startled look. "Zexy, don't even _say _that! The last thing we need is for the brat to have a _partner_!"

"Uuuuh…" Avalon stared. Based on her companions' faces, she decided it was best to just not ask. "Oh yeah! The Guardian thing!"

"Good God, you _do _have ADD," Zexion sighed, massaging his aching temples.

"Alright," Axel said, the corners of his mouth twitching from withheld laughter as he turned to face the girl once again. "Let's try this again." He put a gloved finger on Avalon's lips as she went to talk. "Let's try… having no interruptions this time," he suggested, his green eyes twinkling while he stared into hers.

The girl shifted uncomfortably, feeling yet another blush coming on. "Oooookey."

"Good." Axel glanced at Zexion, who was back to reading his book. "Where were we before we got off topic?"

"The beginning," Zexion replied flatly, turning a page of his book.

Axel rolled his eyes. "Oh, joy." He turned back to Avalon. "You know, when I said it was about time for a Q and A, I didn't mean it was about time for a philosophical debate. Aaaaanyway…" he trailed off, seemingly gathering his thoughts, while Avalon waited with her leg twitching impatiently.

"The Guardian was prophesized, we're not sure by who. Probably Merlin or Yen Sid, or someone like that…" Axel wagged a finger as Avalon opened her mouth to ask something. "I'll answer questions _after_ finishing this one." He regarded her sternly. "And if you get me off topic again, I'll tie you up and gag your mouth so you have to listen. Got it memorized?" He emphasized his last statement by pointing to his head.

Avalon shut her mouth and stared, unsure of whether to laugh, blush, or smack him across the face.

Zexion, continuing to leaf through his book, smirked. "Now, now, Axel. No need to be crude."

Axel's face gained some color, but there was no other response. He decided to continue, waving his hand around to emphasize certain statements. "The prophesy talks about a human from some far-off world who will appear at a time of great peril to protect existence as we know it, yadda-yadda, the usual prophesy babble…" Now he looked at Avalon in intense interest. "The part that got the Organization's attention is that this person is supposed to have some of the powers of a Nobody as well as the strongest heart in existence. Plus, she's supposed to establish strong ties with the Nobodies while fulfilling her mission. After some research, we found out that…"

Zexion looked up from his reading in time to see Axel's hand swiftly grab the girl's right leg and hold it up, naturally causing the cloak to fall out of the way and reveal a _very_ upper thigh. The man gaped at his cohort's stupidity. There was no way this would end well.

The girl struggled against Axel's firm grasp. "_What the heck are you doing?_" If this was almost any other guy, she would've beaten him to a pulp on the spot, but she had a slightly soft spot for Axel.

The man was pulled into her while fighting to maintain his grip. They were now so close that Avalon's upper body was over Axel's lap, her head right in front of his. "Trying to _show_ you something!" he grunted into her ear. "C'mon, trust me."

To everyone's complete dismay, including her own, Avalon stopped struggling. She was tense, and ready to kick Axel's butt if he tried anything, but she wasn't fighting. Because of the "struggle" (hah, hah. _Bad_ KH II allusion/pun. -dodges rotten fruit as the general audience gets it-) she was now right against him, her upper body leaning against his like Zexion was leaning against the back of his chair. Behind her, Axel had a firm grip on both her left arm and her right leg. Both girl and Nobody panted in an attempt to regain their breath.

"You'll (pant) be good?"

"As (pant) long (pant) as you are."

Avalon felt Axel release her arm, then loosen his grip on her leg. He then leaned forward to the point where his head was right next to hers so he could see what he was doing.

Needless to say, Avalon was once again blushing furiously. She could feel his warm, still heavy breath on her neck. #(What the _heck _is he up to?)#

Axel gently lifted her leg a bit, then used his other hand (Avalon was pretty much in his arms at this point) to push the cloak up a little bit. Avalon felt/heard him sharply draw in a breath.

"There," he said softly, pointing to a black-colored heart mark (like the Kingdom Hearts symbol) on the outside of Avalon's upper thigh. "This proves it."

Axel had released her, but Avalon remained in her position, staring at the tattoo-like design on her leg. #(That wasn't there before! What the heck is going on!)#

Axel watched the girl stare at her mark. God, she was hot. How did she not wear make-up? Her eyelashes were way too long and dark, her lips too soft and red… #(Wait. What the h&#l am I thinking?)# He realized Avalon was still leaning against him, practically on his lap. He felt his face grow hot again. #(What is _wrong_ with me? This can't be a memory! I've never felt it before!)# Whatever was "wrong" with him, Axel knew one thing: he liked being around this girl. The ghost of a smile crossed his face.

Zexion, on the other hand, felt extremely annoyed for some odd reason. Despite this, he bit his tongue and kept his face calm and indifferent. He focused on Avalon, who was continuing to stare at her thigh. "You're wandering what it is." It was not a question. The man already knew he was correct.

Avalon looked up and nodded, her strikingly blue eyes staring into his, silently asking for answers.

Zexion sighed and put his book down (yet again), stood up, and crossed the room, kneeling in front of Avalon and Axel. "This," he said, touching the heart marking and making Avalon blush _again_ (she does a lot of blushing around these two. Maybe I should just start talking about when she's _not_ blushing…), "is the symbol of Kingdom Hearts."

"Huh?"

"Kingdom Hearts. It has chosen you to be its protector, the protector of the destinies of the worlds."

"Destiny?" Avalon was very worried now. She was one of those people who believed in free will rather than destiny. Plus, if this went where she thought it was going… #(No! I won't do it!)#

"Yes, destiny. Some things were _meant_ to happen. That does not necessarily mean they _will_, but they were supposed to. And if they don't…" Zexion stopped his explanation at the sick look on the girl's face. "Is something the matter?"

Avalon looked away, her stomach turning uneasily. She didn't want Zexion to see the tears in her eyes. Unfortunately, she'd forgotten that she was practically sitting on Axel, and her face turned only to bury into the cloth on the bewildered man's shoulder. #(Oh well. Now no one can see…)# She cried silently into the black material, stifling her sobs.

Zexion, who was just as bewildered as Axel, stared at the girls heaving back. Both he and Axel knew she was crying. Axel could feel it in her movements, and Zexion could just tell.

Axel put his arms around the girl, quite uncomfortably. "Um… Are you alright?" he asked awkwardly. There was no response. "What's wrong?"

Zexion looked worried. "Was it something I said?"

It sort of was. Avalon had read between the lines in what he had said. If she was the Guardian of fate, she was supposed to make sure the things she'd seen happen in the game came to pass. The way Zexion made it sound, she _had _to. That would include making sure Zexion himself died, which she had been secretly planning up till that point to prevent. But if terrible things would happen as a result… what could she do? Her heart broke at the thought of just standing aside and letting someone she cared about die.

Axel looked down at the girl crying in his arms. "Look," he said, shifting his weight uncomfortably, "I know this is hard to take all at once, but…"

He trailed off as Zexion stood and put a hand on Avalon's shoulder. "We'll be here to help," the man finished firmly.

Axel shot him a "You can't speak for me" sort of look, but realized it was true.

Avalon looked up at Zexion, tears still steaming from her face. He was startled by her unbelievably sad expression, and resisted the odd urge to hold her like Axel was.

"What if…" The girl bit her lip to try to stop the tears. "What if… I told you that one of you is supposed to die?"

Zexion paled and Axel's grip around her tightened. She tried to draw strength from his reassuring warmth.

"When?" Axel asked breathlessly. "Who?"

Zexion shook his head. "Whichever of us it is, we don't want to know. Knowing the number of your days is worse than actually dying." He looked at Avalon with a resolute expression. "Whoever it is, it _must _happen. Don't feel bad."

"Zexy's right," came Axel's voice from above Avalon's head. "Do what you have to do."

"We'll still be here for you."

"Zexion… Axel…" Avalon unsuccessfully tried to fight back her tears. Both of the "unfeeling Nobodies" had just given her permission to let them die. She couldn't help it: as Zexion finally loosened up a little and sat next to her on the bed, she cried herself to sleep in Axel's arms.

* * *

That chapter took a while type. It's like 15 pages! 

Anyway, please read and review! I'd appreciate the feedback! Even if it's bad, cause it'll help me get better!

Oh, and I sorta know what I'm doing with pairings, but I'm not sure what the end pairings will be. So, if anyone has any suggestions…


	7. Outing

Ok, here goes the longish-author's note (don't worry, the story is long, too).

Thankyou sooooo much to everyone who reviewed! I was actually blushing at how many good reviews I got. And, unlike my character, I don't blush easily.

An overwhelming amount of them asked me to update, so here it is! Sorry if there are a few errors!

Oh, and the reason it's taking so long is because I'm going to the school band camp (no cracks please). It just started three days ago, goes until the day school starts, and we're there from the time I wake up (which is sorta late) until 8 at night. And when I come home, I crash on my bed 'cause we're out on a parking lot marching for so long. I guess I'll have to try to get on the computer harder, but please be patient with me, because I really don't have much free time.

I'm a little rushed, so I can't thank individual people this time, but thank you again for the reviews! I loved hearing from you!

Oh, and for those of you who read the last chapter before I edited it, the thoughts will be in a #( )# sort of thing. I figured that'd make it a lot easier. They were supposed to be in something else, but I just found out it wasn't working.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

When Avalon woke up, she was leaning against Zexion, who supported her around the waist with his left arm and held his book up with the other.

"Mmm?" she questioned, lifting her head and looking inquisitively at Zexion's profile. (His head was turned a bit away from her while he read his book.) "I fell asleep _again_?"

Zexion looked up from his book and smiled (a little, anyway). "Well, it makes sense, if you think about it." He released the girl and brushed a stray hair out of her face, making her (guess what?) blush again. "You just recovered from a high fever, plus the shock of… finding out about yourself and your… duties…" He had chosen his words carefully, but chose to not continue on that subject because he didn't want to make her cry again. He'd felt bad enough the first time. #(At least that proved to me that I have feelings…)#

Avalon was silent. She didn't want to think about it. She looked around the room. "Hey, where'd Axel go?"

"Well, while you were asleep, some things occurred. To make a long story short, he was worried about the well-being of the Keyblade Master." He shook his head in distaste. "I've been projecting images of us so we aren't missed by our coworkers, but there are some things a projection can't do… So, Axel went himself." Zexion smirked. "He was quite reluctant to leave until I offered to watch over you."

Avalon's heart skipped a beat.

Then, she remembered that Zexion didn't have much time left. "How long was I asleep?"

"A few hours."

"What happened during that?"

Zexion looked at the girl curiously. "Why?" Then, he understood. It was going to be soon. He shivered. It made sense, really. He had smelled the deaths of Vexen and Larxene, smelled Riku progressing through the basement, his scent growing ever closer. It made sense that either he or Axel wouldn't escape… One of them didn't have much time left.

"Let's go somewhere!"

"Huh?" the man replied, being brought suddenly back to reality.

"Let's go somewhere!" Avalon repeated, looking into Zexion's eyes hopefully. "Just the two of us!"

"Where? Why?" Zexion asked, taken aback at the forcefulness of the appeal.

Avalon looked away and held one arm in a sort of half-arm cross. "I… just… I have to get out of here, even if it's just for a few minutes…" The feel of death was everywhere. Every Organization member in the castle except Axel was doomed, and she was the only one who knew it.

Zexion sighed. She looked so sad he couldn't bring himself to refuse. But it was risky: the Organization was scouring the worlds with a fine-toothed comb looking for Roxas. That's why Axel had been posted at Castle Oblivion: the Superior didn't want him helping Roxas escape their grasp. While Zexion didn't much care about Axel or Roxas, the extra security would make it dangerous for him to leave his post. #(However,)# he thought, #(If I'm the one who's supposed to die, I don't have much time left anyway…)# "Alright," he said in defeat, "But it has to be somewhere safe."

Avalon shot him a "What do you mean?" look, which he ignored.

#(Now,)# Zexion rubbed his chin, #(Which world is least likely to be watched? … … … Of course!)# He looked at Avalon. "How do the Destiny Islands sound?"

The girl grinned. "Perfect."

And so, Zexion opened a dark portal and grabbed Avalon's hand. "Whatever happens, don't let go," he instructed, looking into her eyes worriedly. "And keep moving." With that, he and a now slightly apprehensive Avalon walked into the darkness.

000000000000000000000000000000000

Avalon gasped and pressed closer to Zexion as the darkness closed in around them. She staggered and clutched at her heart area with her free hand. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed by some unseen foe.

Noticing this reaction, Zexion grabbed her waist with his other hand and led her through the darkness as quickly as he could. He hadn't expected the dark corridors to affect her this much.

Avalon took a deep breath and forced herself to ignore the feeling of being crushed, straightening up and following Zexion in an attempt to not worry him. The only things that now gave her discomfort away were her ragged breathing and occasional stumbling (in which case, Zexion would catch her and set her back on her feet).

Finally, Zexion opened a portal out with a wave of his hand. He and the girl dashed through it and into the starry night of the Destiny Islands.

0000000000000000000000000000000000

Avalon's knees gave out, which would have made her collapse to the ground if Zexion hadn't had a firm hold on her waist.

"Are you alright?" he asked, holding her steady. "You look pale."

Avalon nodded. "I'm fine. Just a bit of jet lag."

"Jet lag?"

Avalon laughed at the confused look on the man's face. Apparently he didn't get the joke. "Never mind," she said, smiling and gently breaking out of his hold to sit on the beach. They were near the dock on the island, right above the tide. "It's gorgeous," she breathed, taking off a glove to let a handful of sand slide through her fingers.

"I'm glad you like it," Zexion said, smiling as he sat down next to her. The two of them stared silently out into the starlit ocean (Avalon with her hand in the water, feeling the back and forth motion of the tide) until Zexion spoke. "I'd better teach you how to fight." He stood up and held his hand out to Avalon. "This is probably our best chance."

As much as the girl didn't want to move, she knew he was right: if they had a match in Castle Oblivion, someone might hear them. She nodded, then slipped the glove back on and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

Zexion stood in front of her and regarded her thoughtfully. "Axel would probably be better at teaching you how to fight," he sighed, "But I can at least teach you the basics. Now where to begin…? Have you learned how to summon your weapon?"

Avalon shook her head. "You mean I can do that?" she asked eagerly.

Zexion nodded. "Just focus. Your weapon will only appear when you will it, not quite like the Keyblade, which has a mind of its own."

Avalon held her hands out in a very Axel-like pose, closing her eyes and focusing on the sensation of some sort of weapon in her hands. To her surprise, she felt something pulse through her arms and into the air in front of her hands. She soon held two decorated long knives: one in each outstretched hand. (I'm gonna be lazy and say they're pretty. The rest is whatever you want).

"Interesting…" Zexion remarked, rubbing his chin. "Did you know that mark of yours emits a pink light when you summon your weapons?"

Avalon looked down. Sure enough, a heart-shaped pink light shone through her cloak, right where her right upper thigh was. As she watched, the light faded until it was gone. She glanced at Zexion and cocked her head, putting her hands at her sides. "Any idea why?"

Zexion shrugged. The scientist in him was positively screaming, "Experiment and find out," but now wasn't the time.

Before either of them could say anything else, both noticed a new sound in the air. A guitar? And… singing? A male voice, young and strong like that of many of Avalon's favorite rock stars, drifted through the island over the sound of a guitar. The girl thought it sounded quite good.

Drawn by the sound, Avalon allowed her long knives to disappear with a sparkle of light and a pink flash from her mark, and then began to walk toward the sound. She was forced to a stop when Zexion grabbed her wrist.

"_Please_ tell me you aren't going to investigate?" he hissed worriedly as she turned to face him.

"Why not?"

"Um…" Zexion started. He didn't want to tell Avalon the real reason because he knew at this point it would just make her more curious. "I… uh… hate rock music?"

Avalon stared at him, then laughed. Somehow, she didn't think that was the reason. "C'mon, _please_?" She gave Zexion the puppy-dog eyes without realizing it.

#(Aaaaargh! Why can't I say "no" to this girl!)# He reluctantly, _very_ reluctantly, followed the girl into a vine-covered cave (coughsecretspotcough) and followed her in, staying around the last corner (and thus out of sight) where he could hear/see everything that happened.

When Avalon turned the corner, she saw a blond (mulleted), green-eyed, older boy sitting on a rock and playing something that looked like a blue, three-stringed guitar. He looked up, startled, at Avalon's applause. She stopped clapping and smiled at him warmly. "I heard you from the beach," she explained, motioning toward the exit. "You were so good, I had to come see who was playing."

Now the boy smiled. "You like? I wrote it myself."

"Yes! It's really good!"

Around the corner, Zexion rolled his eyes.

The boy grinned happily. "You know, that's the first time I've heard that," he said, laying his instrument down carefully, than sadly shaking his head. "It's always 'Demyx, stop singing!', 'Demyx, put that infernal thing away!', 'Demyx, stop playing or I'll kick you're a#s! Got it memorized?'" (Guess who)

Zexion smirked behind his corner. It was true; he could name examples of times each of those statements had been used. Particularly the last one.

Avalon stared at the boy. "Demyx?" she asked thoughtfully. "Your name is Demyx?"

Demyx suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Umm… look, I don't think the others would like me associating with civilians…" (He hasn't noticed the cloak because he's been busy checking out the body _inside_ the cloak.)

Zexion grinned evilly.

Demyx continued his blustering. "I mean, they really don't like me in general, but…" He scratched the back of his head. "Maybe you should get out of here in case some b-----d like Saix decides to show up."

"So I'm a b-----d now, am I?" asked a dangerously calm voice from the entrance.

Demyx suppressed a yelp as a man with long blue hair, yellowish eyes, and an X-shaped scar across his face stepped around the corner.

"I-I-I didn't mean it!" the mulleted musician stammered, calling his instrument into his hands.

The man called Saix stared at him cruelly. "Fraternizing with humans and disrespecting your superiors." The man summoned a massive claymore (which managed to match his colors) into his hands and looked at Avalon. "I'm going to teach this insolent brat a lesson. You are free to go."

"You- you're just letting her go?" Demyx was white and shaking, but somehow looked relieved. Saix showing mercy was unheard of. Demyx knew he would get a beating, but at least by some miracle this innocent girl would be safe. He hated it when innocent bystanders were hurt. He looked at the girl, who now stood protectively in front of him. "You heard him, get out of here!"

"No!" the girl shouted, taking a defensive position and summoning her long knives with a burst of light. "This jerk will have to deal with me first!"

Demyx gaped. She'd summoned her weapons like a Nobody! He finally noticed the Organization cloak the girl wore, and the fading glow of a pink heart where her upper leg must be. "Who… who are you?"

"Later," she answered flatly, glaring at the visibly surprised Saix.

Demyx readied himself. Whoever this girl was, she was willing to put herself in danger to protect him. He wouldn't let her fight alone.

Then something odd happened.

Saix started laughing.

Girl and Nobody cocked their heads in confusion.

Next something even more odd happened: "Saix" wavered like a bad TV reception and turned into a chuckling Zexion.

"Zexion!" Avalon yelled, letting her weapons disappear. "You… idiot! You scared me!"

Zexion tried very hard to suppress his laughter. He was known for always being serious, and he did have a reputation to keep. "You didn't look scared to me," he told Avalon approvingly. "But, you…" he pointed at Demyx, smirking in a very evilly amused manner. "You are another story…"

The musician looked like he wanted to hit him over the head with his instrument. "D--mit, Zexy! That's below the belt! You know I hate Saix!"

Zexion twitched at the use of his new-ish nickname. "Have you spoken with Axel since he was posted in Castle Oblivion?"

"Yeah, why?" Demyx asked obliviously.

"No reason." Zexion had a headache. Already.

000000000000000000000000

"So what's going on? Demyx asked the others, crossing his arms.

The three were standing in a circle in the Secret Spot, the illusion of a campfire (courtesy of Zexion) in the center. Why the illusion of a fire? Because real campfires are messy and leave signs of having existed. The illusionary fire gave the cave a warm, friendly sort of feel: its yellowish light illuminated childish drawings on the walls and Demyx's abandoned instrument on the floor, making the beach look ominously dark in comparison.

"I mean, first this girl pops up on Destiny Islands in an Organization cloak. Then, she summons weapons like one of us, and she has this pink Kingdom Hearts symbol thing that lights up when she summons or dismisses her weapons, _and_ she's on good terms with _you_." Demyx pointed an accusing finger at Zexion. "And you mock or distrust everyone but the other founders, so that's not normal!"

Avalon gave Zexion a sidelong glance to silently ask if they could trust Demyx. Her instincts said yes, but Zexion had prior knowledge of this Organization member.

Zexion was busy being nervous: Demyx wasn't quite the fool he'd pegged him for.

Demyx, seeing that Zexion was too absorbed in considering his options to answer his question, turned to Avalon for explanations. "So, are you like the 14th member or something?"

Avalon considered the musician. He looked friendly enough, and he _had_ been willing to protect her when they thought Zexion was Saix… "I'll tell you a little bit," she began cautiously, glancing at the startled Zexion, "But you'll have to _swear_ that you won't repeat or hint at anything to _anyone_."

Demyx grinned. "Alright." He looked Avalon in the eye and held up his right hand like a boy scout. "I solemnly swear that as long as I have anything to do with it, no one will find out about what you tell me."

Avalon glanced at Zexion again. Was that good enough?

Zexion sighed and nodded. While he preferred to _not _confide in Demyx, he knew the musician was surprisingly trustworthy.

Avalon smiled and turned back to Demyx. "Alrighty, we'll answer a few questions, but then we have to leave." Her smile faltered. They had to leave so they would be in time for Zexion's death… She shook her head to try to break away from the oncoming onslaught of emotion. #(He's alive right now,)# she told herself firmly. She'd prefer to not feel the grief until she had to. The girl adopted a fake smile, noticing with a slight jolt that Zexion was staring at her in concern. For someone who'd thought he didn't have emotions until an hour or two ago, that man sure could tell how she felt. "Let's answer the cloak question," she said hastily, trying to cover her moment of gloom.

Zexion continued staring at Avalon in thought while she explained to Demyx why she was wearing an Organization uniform if she wasn't a member. He zoned back into reality, however, at Demyx's response.

"He _burned your clothes_!" Demyx asked, eyes widened in disbelief.

"Yup."

"What an _idiot_!" he exclaimed gleefully.

"I couldn't agree more," Zexion replied, smirking. "Did she mention how he showed her the mark on her leg?"

"No. How?" Demyx leaned forward, rapt with eager attention.

Avalon blushed. She'd rather that not be brought up. So, she got between the two, waving her arms around frantically. "Ummm… I didn't man for this to become a 'tell stories about how stupid Axel is' gathering."

Demyx smiled and rubbed a hand over the back of his mullet. "Sorry, couldn't help it."

Zexion nodded in agreement. True, they hadn't meant for it to become that, but, oh, how much fun it was. And _so _easy. He smiled slightly as he thought, #(Hmmm, Demyx is good for something after all.)#

"Oh man!" Avalon exclaimed suddenly. She turned to Zexion, a worried expression on her face. "We'd better head back."

"Why?" Demyx whined. "You haven't told me much yet!"

Avalon smiled apologetically. "Sorry, maybe later." She turned back to Zexion. "We need to get back before Axel realizes we're gone."

Zexion nodded. She was right.

"Aaaaw…"

As Zexion opened a dark portal and slipped an arm bracingly around Avalon's waist, a thought occurred to Demyx.

"Hey!" he exclaimed before they could step through the portal.

"What?" Zexion asked in an annoyed tone, looking over his shoulder at the musician.

Demyx pointed at the two. "Are you guys, like, an _item_?" Demyx quickly put his hands up in surrender as Zexion snarled at him. "Just a question," he said meekly. "Anyway," he addressed a furiously blushing Avalon, "Nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you," the girl replied, smiling and trying to fight away her blush before Zexion noticed. "I hope we meet again, under less rushed circumstances."

Demyx returned the smile. "Me too. Maybe next time I can teach you to play the Sitar." He motioned toward his three-stringed weapon/instrument.

#(Oh, so _that's_ what it is,)# Avalon thought to herself. She'd been wondering about that for a while. "I'd like that."

Zexion rolled his eyes. "Are you ready to go, ADD girl?" he asked, remembering how hard it was for Axel to get her to pay attention and stay on the subject.

Avalon laughed. "Alright, alright. I'm coming." She waved over her shoulder at Demyx as the two stepped into a portal.

Demyx waved back, even though he knew she didn't have eyes in the back of her head.

As the portal closed, the fake fire fizzled out of existence, leaving Demyx alone in the dark cave with his sitar, just the way they'd found him.

"D--n," he muttered to himself. "Forgot to get her name." He scratched the back of his head. "Oh well, too late now…" He walked back to his original seat and called his sitar into his hands, composing a new tune to play for the girl if they did meet again.

0000000000000000000000000000

Not long afterwards, Zexion and Avalon appeared in the same room they'd left in Castle Oblivion.

Zexion walked the stumbling girl to the bed so she could recover from the trip.

He hated how the darkness attacked her in the dark corridors. That place was known to erode the hearts of humans who lingered too long, but he'd never seen it _focus_ on eroding a single heart so quickly. It was obvious to the man that the darkness wanted to engulf her, but somehow all it had managed was to make her physically uncomfortable. Despite the girl's remarkable resistance, for the first time, Zexion did not view the darkness as a friend.

"So…" Avalon looked at Zexion curiously, apparently mostly recovered already, "Why doesn't the portal thingie affect you? Are you just used to it?"

Zexion now felt the distance between him and this girl. She was a being of the light, the girl chosen by Kingdom Hearts to protect more than the Keyblade Master was tasked with himself, and perhaps possessing the strongest heart in existence.

"I have no heart," he said in a monotone, his face unreadable. "I am a being reborn in darkness, even partially _made _of darkness." He looked at Avalon. "_You_ reside in the light. The darkness always tries to overwhelm the light, so of course it would affect you. It preys upon the hearts of beings of light." He looked away. "Because I have no heart, and I am of the dark-"

"It's not interested in you," Avalon finished.

Zexion continued to watch the floor as though it was the most interesting thing in the castle (which, if there were no other people, it might have been, but…) Now that he thought about it, they should have been enemies. The eternal clash between light and dark, and that sort of thing. But did dark mean… evil? Were Nobodies like vampires, driven by an eternal search and longing for what they didn't have, doomed to eventually harm everyone they came into contact with? Was that what he was? He'd never thought about it before. He wouldn't have cared even if he did. But now, suddenly, he was ashamed of what he was. And what he'd done.

Like Axel, even more than Axel, Zexion had viewed the girl as a tool. At first, he'd felt no emotions to think otherwise. He and Vexen had planned to win her favor and harness her power to defeat Marluxia. (Actually, Zexion was the one who'd planned to win her favor. Vexed had more… _direct_ plans.) After that, they were going to experiment on her; her strong heart could hold the key to regaining theirs. That was why they'd had to watch over her, make sure Marluxia didn't find out about her, and make sure she was in good health. When the girl was sick, Zexion had been stiff and on edge trying to keep Axel (and Larxene for a short period of time) from figuring out the plan. When he noticed Axel taking care of the girl, he'd planned on _using_ Axel's new weakness to his advantage.

But somewhere between meeting Avalon and now, something had gone wrong. Zexion had started to care for the girl, to feel guilty for his scheme. Vexen, suspecting as much, changed the subject of his "harnessing power" plan to Riku (not out of kindness, he just knew it would be foolish to lose an ally at this stage of his plan).

Zexion jumped when he realized that Avalon, who was rather short compared to him, was standing in front of him with her arms around his chest in what appeared to be a hug. "W-wha…?"

The girl looked up at him. "You looked like you needed a hug," she said simply. Avalon wasn't sure how, but she'd become more and more able to read other people's emotions during her time in the game. Maybe it had something to do with that strong heart? Whatever the cause, she'd sensed Zexion's feelings of sadness, loneliness, and disgust, amongst others when he turned away. "Look, I don't know what's wrong, but whatever it is you're my friend. And I want to help."

Zexion felt like he was about to cry. #(It's odd,)# he thought, allowing himself to hug the girl in return. #(Just one action from this girl, a few words, can inspire and change emotions I didn't even know I had.)# He smiled. Somehow, her hug, her _acceptance_ of him made Zexion happy. "I… think… I'm in love with you." The words were out before he even knew he was speaking. His embrace around Avalon tightened. #(Oh, s--t. Please tell me I didn't say that out loud! Where did that come from anyway?)#

But it was true. Zexion felt his stomach churn. How could he have the nerve to say that, after all he'd planned and tried to do? How did he have the gall? It wasn't even like she could return his feelings, considering their situations. He was lucky she thought of him as a _friend_. He wished he could take those words back…

All these thoughts and feelings pulsed through him in only a few moments, which were filled with a stunned silence.

"I…" Avalon's voice was quiet and nervous, and then trailed off. She didn't _want _to admit anything. Zexion was supposed to _die_. She didn't want him to, but he was _supposed _to. And… she felt the same way about more than one person… #(How the _heck_ am I supposed to react to something like this!)# She accidentally squeezed the poor Nobody around the chest (not that it really hurt him). "I… love you too. But…" She took a deep breath. She didn't want to say the rest, but knew she had to. "I think I'm in love with someone else, too." #(Plus, you're going to die,)# she finished in her head.

Zexion realized that he'd practically been holding his breath the whole time. Now, he smiled at the girl in his arms and finally allowed himself to breathe. "That's good enough for me."

Avalon shyly looked up into his blue-grey eyes. When she looked into them, she could sense that it was true: he was perfectly happy with just that. She buried herself in his arms, allowing herself to enjoy the moment. Whatever was supposed to happen later, she just wanted these moments to last as long as they could.

* * *

Ok, you know the drill. Please review! I love hearing from everyone, even if it's not necessarily good.

And I promise I'll update as soon as I can. Which probably won't be tomorrow due to an activity I have to do for 3 hours before band camp (ugh, waking up early…)


	8. Goodbye?

Sorry this is a little shorter. I'm typing it at a sleepover (Everyone else is falling asleep. How boring!) At any rate...

Thankyou so much for all your kind reviews! Cookies to xUMIXx, VIII, Shadow of Darkness 22, gothic-chao, Alister'sHOTGirlfriend, Organization 13, StarPup, Zexion's Girl, MollytheFlame, Zexion's Girlfriend, Axel's Girlfriend, Following Padfoot's Pawprints, Legend of the Dragon Master, BC, Mega:), #7Saix, DemyxGirl, Pat the Game Beater, Organization Mem, InuyashetheMutt, CatKiller, Tifa's Guy, Kingdom Hearts Hater, Raven of Death, DragonKiller13, Riku's Abs! (your penname made me giggle, btw), Axel the hottie (same thing), ZexionXMeforever, Christina Death666, I LUV Zexion#6 The Clocked ..., Axel's Girl, Rikufan#1-o-mega, Cloud's Girlfriend:) , IrishKitsune, and ShadowShapeshifterAndHerCat.

And i suppose a cookie to "someone you dont know." I do appreciate the feedback from you, but I'd prefer to know _how_ it sucked.

Thankyou so much! I'm gonna have to start handing out plushies or something. Cookies feel too dull. Lemme know if you want something different!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Kingdom Hearts. It makes me sad inside, but I don't.

The line adding thing is being evil, so...

LIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

After a while, Zexion jerked as a smell reached his nose. "Lexaeus…" he said, eyes wide in horror.

Avalon looked up. Before he said anything else, she knew what was coming. She fought back her urge to cry. Their time was almost up already, I everything went according to the game.

"He must be in a battle. And he's losing… His scent is getting weak." He looked at Avalon. "I have to go check into it." Lexaeus wasn't quite a friend, but he was, in Zexion's opinion, one of the better Organization members. Vexen was already dead. If Lexaeus died then two of the founders would be gone.

He released Avalon, turning away and forming a portal with the wave of a hand. "Marluxia is most likely preoccupied now, and you know how to take care of yourself, so..."

"Wait!" Avalon grabbed his arm as he stepped toward the portal. "I'm coming with you!" Her face was set.

Zexion looked over his shoulder and studied her closely. "There's a dangerous boy down there. If he sees you in that outfit he'll think you're an enemy."

Avalon shook her head. "No. Riku won't hurt me. I'm more worried about you and Axel." She continued before Zexion could ask how she knew Riku, her voice pleading. "_Please_, Zexion. Take me with you!"

Zexion turned around and looked into the girl's determined eyes. "You know something, don't you?"

Avalon made no reply. She only stared straight into his eyes stubbornly.

The Nobody regarded her a bit longer, then grabbed her waist. "All right then," he said, sounding as though this was against his better judgement. "Let's go."

Avalon had no time to celebrate her victory. Instead, she braced herself, not just for the coming onslaught of darkness, but also for what she would have to face afterwards.

0000000000000000

The two appeared a few seconds later in the dimly lit basement council room, where Avalon and Zexion had first met. It was empty except for them.

Zexion let go of Avalon and walked to the center of the room, concentrating on the smells around him (the basement had no crystal ball he could peer into to see what was happening because Larxene had broken the one upstairs, causing Marluxia to steal the one from the basement.)

Now that they were closer, Zexion could smell the status of the situation. Riku was stronger somehow, and his scent was only a few floors below. Coming from the same floor was the very faint scent of Lexaeus. He had lost. He was fading away at that moment.

Zexion sighed sadly, crossing his arms and deep in thought. "First Vexen, and now Lexaeus. What will become of the Organization?" While he loved Avalon, he was also loyal to the Organization. After all, he was one of its founders.

Before Avalon could say anything, Axel appeared through a portal of darkness (in front of Avalon) and walked toward Zexion, who didn't look happy to see him. "Larxene's out of the picture, too. Namine turned on her." (He didn't know Zexion already knew) "Gee, I wonder who's next?" Once again, neither Avalon or Zexion could tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

Zexion decided to think he wasn't. "Maybe you," he replied evenly. Of all the members for him to be stuck with, _why _did it have to be Axel? He sighed. #(Oh well. At least Avalon's relatively safe with him.)# He glanced at the girl who was still in the corner of the room, and noted with alarm that she looked sick to her stomach. #(I suppose she knows who's next...)#

She did. Marluxia was fighting Sora as they spoke. He was going to lose, and, despite the fact that she hadn't wanted the man to find her, she felt sorry for him. _Why _did she have to be so attached to people she knew would die?

Axel laughed knowledgably. "Me? Naah. Sora thinks he finished me off." He gingerly touched a sore spot on his side and winced. "And I don't plan on doing a repeat performance..."

Zexion stared. Did this mean Axel was safe? Did this mean _he_ was the one who would die?

His thoughts were interrupted by Axel's malicious laughter. The man crossed his arms. "No, I think Marluxia's next in line."

Zexion scowled at the red-haired man. "Sora defeated you, so you think he's unbeatable, is that it?"

Axel grinned. "Yeah, that's the idea."

Avalon, who still hadn't been noticed by Axel, chuckled from the corner.

Zexion rolled his eyes. Really, this man was so arrogant. He might be a better fighter than any of the Organization members who lived in the Castle, but...

"If you ask me, it's poetic justice," Axel remarked, the smirk back on his face. "Marluxia tried to control Sora, so it's only fitting that Sora will be his demise."

Avalon and Zexion stared at Axel. Was he _attached_ to Sora? Was that why he'd gone against Marluxia's rebellion?

Zexion stared over Axel's shoulder at Avalon, who shrugged. He sighed and returned his thoughts to the current situation. "So... I guess we won't be needing Riku." There was really no point. If Sora defeated Marluxia, all of their efforts in harnessing Riku's powers were for naught.

Axel waved a hand. "Good luck getting rid of him," he said offhandedly. "Do you really want to take on someone who wasted Lexaeus?" Both of them knew that Lexaeus was an infinitely better fighter than Zexion.

Zexion smirked. "That's not how I do things." He had other plans. He would make Riku too ashamed of what he was to face the Keyblade Master. Thanks to Avalon, he knew just how to do that, too.

Axel looked at Zexion questioningly. Truth be told, he'd never seen this man deal directly with a situation, and was quite curious about what he would do now that he had no other choice.

"Tell me," Zexion said, adopting his thinking pose, "Did you get the data on Riku's home?"

000000000000000000000000

After Zexion and Axel collaborated a bit, Zexion walked over to Avalon, who was now comfortably leaning against a wall with her arms crossed.

Axel jumped when he saw her. "Woah! When did you get here?"

Avalon smiled, her arms twinkling in the faint light. "I've been here."

"Oh," Axel said, walking toward her as well. "Zexy brought you here, huh?"

The girl nodded.

Axel scratched the back of his head. "Wonder how I missed you."

Zexion smirked and exchanged a look with Avalon. "He's not the most observant of us, is he?" he asked the girl as though Axel wasn't there.

"Well, _excuse_ me," Axel snapped defensively before Avalon could tell Zexion not to make fun of him. "_Some_ of us don't have noses like yours, Mr. Bloodhound!"

Avalon couldn't help but laugh. These two simply couldn't be in the same room without exchanging sarcastic remarks with each other.

"See," Axle said, grinning in triumph. "She agrees with me!"

Zexion rolled his eyes. "Right. We'll go with that." Then his face became more serious as he remembered where he was going. Zexion knew that either he or Axel was supposed to die soon, but he wasn't sure which or when. For all he knew, this was the last time he'd see Avalon. He watched her as she talked with Axel and frequently laughed, smiling to himself at how happy she looked. When he was sure he'd memorized every detail of her face, he turned to leave without a word. He hated long goodbyes if they weren't needed.

Avalon, it seemed, had other plans. "Zexion!" she yelled after him as he opened a portal. There was no response.

Axel (who'd been interrupted in mid-sentence) blinked, looking from Avalon to Zexion. He noticed that the girl looked hurt. Normally, he wouldn't get involved, but... "Hey, Zexy!" he called, making the other Nobody flinch. "Oh, good. You're not deaf. You're supposed to _respond_ when a lady calls you!"

Zexion wanted nothing more than to strangle the other man. Before he could weigh the pros and cons of such an action, Avalon was standing between him and the portal. He sighed and let it close. "Yes?"

"I... just... I, ummm..." Avalon looked at the ground. This was possibly the last time she would see Zexion before Axle caused his death. How could she react to that? She wanted to cry and hug him and never let go. But she wouldn't. Instead, she unfastened her cross necklace and held it out to him, still looking away. "Umm... For luck."

A stunned and confused Zexion accepted the necklace and fastened it around his own neck. It hung under his cloak, close to where his heart would be. It almost made him smile how fitting that was. He looked back at the girl. She looked so sad and shy that he couldn't help but pull her into another hug. He wanted so badly to stay here and protect her from whatever happened. He hated seeing her this sad. #(Just a minute longer,)# he told himself firmly. #(I still have a job to do. I can only do this a minute longer...)#

Meanwhile, Avalon was resisting the urge to just melt in his arms. Now wasn't the time. #(If I fail... there never will be a right time,)# That depressing thought actually brought tears to her eyes. She buried her face in his chest and forced herself to not cry. She could sense so many emotions swirling around inside him that mirrored her own. Were they both depending on each other for support? Avalon smiled at the thought: it was rather amusing, actually. Sighing sadly, she broke out of Zexion's arms and turned away. "Good luck," she whispered, not trusting herself to talk without her voice breaking.

Zexion, resisting the strong urge to try to comfort her, opened another portal, and, with a sad and concerned glance over his shoulder, stepped into the darkness.

It was then that Avalon sensed that Axel wasn't planning to kill Zexion.

00000000000000000000000000

Axel stared at the place where Zexion had disappeared, then at Avalon, who was staring determinedly at the floor with her hands clenched at her sides. #(What the hl just happened?)# he asked himself. #(That was an unusual display of emotion fro Zexy... And Avalon was all teary-eyed and gave him her necklace...)# He stared at the girl in thought. #(What the hl just happened?)# he concluded silently. (In other words, he's really confused.)

He couldn't help but wince at the look on Avalon's face. It looked like she'd just lost her best friend. He knew that feeling... "You ok?" he asked, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. He jumped as he started laughing and crying at the same time. #(Ummm... Is that normal?)# After some thought, Axel decided that no, randomly bursting into fits of laughter while crying hysterically wasn't normal. (Good job, Axel!) He firmly grabbed both the girl's shoulders, turned her around so she was facing him, and then stared at her eyes intently while keeping a hold on her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"I'm ... supposed to make sure he dies when he gets back," she said between fits of laughter, tears streaming down her face.

Axel felt like his heart was breaking along with hers, not because of Zexion's fate, but because of how much it was hurting Avalon. But he didn't have a heart. Before he could think of anything else to say, she continued.

"I... fell in love with him like the _idiot_ I am, and I... have to make sure he _dies_!"

#(Fell in love with him!)# Axel repeated in his mind, startled. For some reason, those simple words made his insides wreath in protest. He tried to shake the feeling off. This wasn't about him.

The girl stopped laughing and looked at Axel, a faint hope twinkling in her eyes. "I..." she croaked, watching Axel hopefully, "Could I just..._not_ do it? Do I _have _to kill him?"

The red-haired Nobody seriously felt as though he once more had a heart that could break. No, if it was supposed to happen, it _had_ to happen. Such was the fate and curse of the Guardian. If she didn't fulfill her duties, events would unfold that shouldn't. Things wouldn't happen that should. In other words, one little thing would affect the entire course of the future. He could see that in her mind, the girl knew this without being told. But in her heart...

Axel looked into her blue eyes, now filled with tears. How could he tell her that? Who was he to shatter her last fragments of hope? He was Nobody.

Avalon was in such a state that she couldn't even read the blatent pity and sadness in Axel's eyes.

Then, Axel had a sudden realization. He looked at the girl, a thin, forced smile spreading across his face. "No, you don't," he replied firmly, pulling her into a tight, quick hug. He needed to remember why he was doing what he was about to do or he'd hate himself for it later. #(I will.)#

LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEE

Please review! As I've said, I want to know what you think, and I'll take suggestions. (Sorry about not taking the letting Zexion live one, but I had that part worked out in my head already. It's gonna influence a lot.) What you say could influence the ending/ future events!

And I'll update ASAP.


	9. A Duty Fulfilled

Before I start this chapter, I want to apologize to those of you who want Zexion to live. To be frank, I do too, but he _has_ to die for the sake of the Kingdom Hearts plotline _and_ my plotline. Don't worry, though. His story doesn't end here… So stick with me!

Oh, and for those of you who have played CoM, the death scene will be pretty much the same. I did it from memory because a certain friend of mine (cough m3thod-mak3r cough) still has my game, so there'll be some differences, but… Again, bear with me please.

Thankyou for the reviews! Cookies to Zexion & Axel R both my Boy..., StarPup, VIII, Axel's Girlfriend, Shadow of Darkness 22, Christina Death666, Following Padfoot's Pawprints, xUMIXx, Zexion's Girlfriend (for the first review because you siad you didn't want one for the last review you gave), Organization 13, Zexion's Girl, Alister'sHOTGirlfriend, Riku's ABS, Axel's Girl, Marluxia's Guy (ummm, your sister is right. Marluxia is indeed a man, not a woman), Xaldin the HULK, Teh Sad Panda, Ienzo's Girlfriend (don't worry, most of that will happen later. And thanx for the "completed" tip. I didn't realize I did that), Shadow, Rumi, Diz the masked master (yes, more will be in it), Vexen the Blondie (like I said, thanks for the tip. Didn't realize I did that), Kagome the Star, and Member: Saix (yes, he will).

When I get the time, I'll answer some more questions on my profile, but right now I'm kinda rushed. So here goes the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

After the hug, Axel opened a dark portal and surveyed the subdued Avalon. He sighed and allowed the portal to close. She was in no shape to travel that way. "You look tired," he commented for no particular reason.

Avalon nodded. She was extremely tired. You know that feeling where you've just had the worst day of your life and just want to go over to the nearest flat surface, curl up in a ball, and sleep? That's how she felt right then.

Axel mulled over his options. He knew he _had_ to get Avalon out of that room before he did anything. He didn't want her to know what he was about to do: he knew it would hurt her even more. He couldn't take her through the dark corridors because she was too worn out to resist their erosive powers, and she was probably too tired to walk where he wanted to take her. So, he did the next thing that came to mind: picking her up and carrying her in his arms. (For our purposes, let's say he's more muscular than he looks. Why? 'Cause I'm the all-powerful author! Mwahahaha! … Kidding. Sort of.)

"Where are you taking me?" the girl asked vaguely. She was too tired to care as much as she normally would have, so she didn't struggle at all.

"To see Namine," the Nobody replied. "You two have a little in common. Maybe she can cheer you up."

Avalon smiled faintly. He was trying so hard. "Thanks…" It meant a lot to her, really. More than it should… With that thought, she nuzzled into Axel's chest and fell asleep.

Axel moved as quickly as he could through Castle Oblivion, reaching the pod room in only a few minutes.

"Who's there!" a startled female voice asked from somewhere in the room.

Axel turned a corner and found himself face-to-face with Namine, who appeared to be watching over a sleeping Sora. He walked over to the pod Sora was in and examined the peaceful boy inside.

Namine eyed Avalon (who was sleeping in Axel's arms) suspiciously.

"So…" Axel said thoughtfully. "He decided to lose his memories of this place to regain his old ones, did he?"

Namine gave a guarded nod, her eyes flitting from Axel to Avalon.

"Well," the man said, masking his disappointment with sarcasm, "I guess I'll have to introduce myself all over again when he wakes up." He shook his head. "What a pain!" Then, he noticed the way Namine was staring at him. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"What do you want?" she asked bluntly. The last time she'd met Axel, he'd been willing to kill her to get at Marluxia: the only reason she was still alive was because of Sora's intervention. But before that, Axel _had_ helped her save Sora… Needless to say, she had mixed feelings upon seeing him again.

Axel shrugged a little bit, careful not to wake Avalon, and grinned innocently. "What's wrong with me coming to visit you and Sora?"

Namine wasn't buying it. "Why are you carrying an unconscious girl wearing an Organization XIII uniform who looks like she completely trusts you?"

Axel looked in surprise at Avalon, who did indeed appear completely at ease asleep in his arms. A gentle smile spread across his face, making Namine jump. This was an extremely unusual expression for Axel.

"Umm…" Namine decided she'd rather not know. "Why did you bring her here?" she asked, the tone of her voice a bit softer.

Axel sighed. He really didn't want Avalon to wake up and hear him, but he supposed he needed to tell Namine something. "Long story. Let's just say, she's the Guardian and she _can't _complete one of her duties." Axel looked back down at the sleeping girl he was trying to protect. "So I'm doing it _for_ her." He looked back to the shocked Namine, a determined glint in his eyes. "And I need you to keep her here so she doesn't know what I'm doing. Can I count on you?"

Namine thought it over. It sounded like the girl wouldn't be happy about whatever Axel was going to do, but if she was the Guardian and it had to be done… She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Good." Axel looked around the room. "Where can I put her?" He really didn't want to lay Avalon on the floor. In fact, he didn't want to leave her while she was asleep at all, but he was running out of time to act.

Namine looked around the room and finally motioned to one of the pods. "If you lean her up against one of those it'll be like she fell asleep in a cushioned chair." She smiled at the suspicious look on Axel's face. "Don't worry. I don't mean _in _a pod. Just beside one."

Axel carefully lowered the girl and propped her against a pod. He stared at her peaceful expression, and then turned to look at Sora's. #(I wonder… If she'd have been better off if we'd never met…)# He felt a pang as he realized that yes, she probably would have been much happier. #(Like when we first met…)# He smiled as he remembered that first conversation. #(It's amazing, really. She makes me feel closer to having a heart than Roxas and Sora combined.)#

He turned to Namine. "Please," #(_There's _a word I don't say often!)# "Don't let her know what I'm about to do."

Namine stared back at him curiously. "What _are _you about to do?"

"First, I'm tracking down Vexen's Riku Replica," he replied, partially running over his half-formed plan for himself. "Then, I'll persuade him to do the job for me." Axel grimaced at the thought of what he was about to set in motion. He didn't like Zexion, but he didn't really want to _kill_ him. Plus, since Zexion was a founder, killing him would have repercussions. Axel knew he wouldn't be punished for betraying Marluxia or Larxene because they were rebels, and Vexen had become untrustworthy. So, Axel had done both Sora and the Organization a favor in getting rid of those three. But if he killed Zexion, the Superior would begin to wonder if he was perhaps a lose cannon. Which was part of the reason Axel was going to convince the Riku Replica to do it for him: that way he could say Zexion had died as a result of Vexen's latest experiment.

Namine stared at him, her eyes calculating. "You're going to convince him to kill someone, aren't you?" she asked, her tone accusing.

"No," Axel replied coldly. "I'm going to convince him to kill Nobody."

"Huh?"

With those last words, Axel glanced at the sleeping Avalon and walked out of the room, leaving Namine alone with her thoughts and the two sleeping warriors of light. (Sorry, couldn't resist the FF pun)

00000000000000000000000000000000000

Zexion was in trouble. Somehow, Riku had been able to see through his illusions. #(But the only way to see through the blinding light is with the dark!)# Yes, he could smell the boy's dark power growing. "I thought you hated the dark!" he remarked, clutching his injured side. "You called it your enemy!"

"Not anymore!" Riku replied simply, making a sliding dash toward the confused Nobody and landing another blow.

"Nyaah!" Zexion doubled over, holding his stomach. The cross necklace slipped out from under his cloak, reminding him of the worried girl waiting for him to return. "Hypocrite!" he called to Riku, opening a portal and diving into it. Unlike many of his former co-workers, he knew when to quit.

Still clutching his stomach, he made his way through the dark corridors, the darkness lending him some strength. He reappeared in the basement council room and doubled over as he left the pain-numbing darkness.

"No one has ever worn the dark like him!" he commented to himself, gritting his teeth against the pain in his side. He'd smelled the darkness rapidly gaining strength in the boy, but it wasn't its usual all-consuming self. It wasn't touching Riku's light: it even seemed to be _supporting_ it. "What… What _is_ he?"

Suddenly, Axel appeared through a portal, Riku in tow.

"Gah! Riku!" Zexion yelped.

A pined expression crossed Riku's face.

"Oh, of course. Vexen's replica." Zexion calmed himself, straightening up in an attempt to preserve his dignity. "Good thinking, Axel." Zexion smirked, his quick mind already formulating a plan. "We can use _this_ Riku to confront the other one, and…" He trailed off at the blank stare Axel was giving him. Come to think of it, he was being unusually quiet. And where was Avalon? "Axel?"

Axel turned to the Riku Replica, his face unreadable. "Hey, Riku. It must be really hard for you now that you know you're not real."

Riku stared at the floor.

"I'll bet you'd _like_ to be real," Axel continued, crossing his arms.

"Yeah," Riku replied quietly, now looking at Axel.

"Well, all you need to do is acquire strength the _real _Riku doesn't have. Then you can be your own person, not his shadow."

Zexion shot Axel a startled look. "Axel, what are you telling him?" They both knew that power had nothing to do with stepping out of the shadows. Nobodies like themselves were living proof of that.

Axel ignored the question and motioned toward Zexion, his voice casual. "You know, I'll bet he's as good a place to start as any."

Zexion gaped. "Have you gone _mad_?" He was too stunned to move.

"Sorry, Zexy," Axel said honestly, watching the Riku Replica advance toward the other Nobody. Then, just so Zexion wouldn't put two-and-two together and blame Avalon he added, "Saving you isn't half as entertaining as watching Sora and Riku."

"No!" Zexion didn't want to die. He backed up, preparing to open a portal, but the Riku Replica already had his blade to his throat. "Nooo!" Zexion looked back down at the cross necklace that hung around his neck. #(So… it was me the whole time… She… was crying for me?)# Zexion smiled sadly. #(She cared… that much? I'm sorry, Avalon. I'm sorry for what you have to endure…)# There was no doubt in his mind that she would have to go through even more before the end of her mission. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't see the blade. #(Goodbye.)#

Axel looked away as the blade came down.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Zexion!" Avalon jerked awake, clutching at her heart area. Her mark gave off a faint red glow. "He's gone…" Still leaning against the pod (and not really caring how she got there), she drew her legs up against her body, folded her arms on top of them, and buried her face in her arms.

Namine came running from somewhere in the room. "I heard a shout! Is everything…" Then, she saw the girl. "Did… something happen?"

An audible sob came from underneath the mass of golden hair, which was all that was visible of Avalon's head.

Namine was overwhelmed with a wave of pity for this girl she didn't even know. She and Roxas had always been different from the others that way; they seemed to be born with a stronger ability to feel. Of course, the entire Organization attributed it to stronger memories, but… #(I was right,)# she thought to herself as she sat down next to the older girl. #(Axel _was _planning to kill someone. Apparently someone she cared about.)# Namine wished there was more she could do for this girl, but she couldn't think of anything short of erasing her memories, and she was _never_ going to do that again. Not after Sora… So, she placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder and sat silently beside her. At least she could let her know someone was there for her.

A few minutes later, Axel slipped out of a dark portal only a few feet away from the two girls. His expression (before he realized they were there) was one of disgust, his eyes glazed over in a haunted manner. He wasn't proud of what he'd done. He had no resignations about killing an enemy or an obstacle, but Zexion had nothing to do with anything, and was even younger than him…

Then he noticed Avalon and Namine.

"Avalon?" he asked softly. He was overcome with a very odd sensation of time standing still for one terrible moment. #(How… How the hl does she know already?)# Then a guilt-ridden, terrible thought floated through his mind. #(Did I… do this?)# He sank to his knees in front of her. "Avalon, please…" #(Do _something_. Say _something_. Anything at all.)#

Namine shook her head. "If it was someone she cared about she won't be able to respond for some time."

Axel winced as he remembered Avalon saying she'd fallen in love with Zexion. "Ugh. It might be a while, then…" And now he knew that it was his fault. #(But it's not,)# he argued to himself defensively. #(It _had _to happen. I just kept her from having to do it herself! She should be _thanking_ me!)# But, somehow, when he looked at the crying girl his resolve melted, giving way to pity and guilt. #(Aaargh! What the hl's _wrong_ with me!)# Why had he wanted his feelings back anyway? He'd forgotten how complicated they made simple situations. He sighed and reached into his cloak pocket, pulling out the cross necklace he'd retrieved from the floor after the Riku Replica left. He could at least return this.

"Here," he said, managing to be visibly aggravated and compassionate at the same time. He gently combed some of Avalon's hair away from her neck and fastened the necklace around it. "I believe this is yours." He brushed the hair to her back so it wasn't flying everywhere and stood up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Namine asked curiously.

"Some other floor," the Nobody responded. "Riku will be here soon, and you know how he feels about Organization members." He looked back at Avalon and his expression softened again. "I'd take her with me, but I don't think she feels like moving… Besides, something Vexen told me makes me sure Riku won't hurt her."

Namine looked at the man questioningly, but was ignored as he opened a dark portal. Just before stepping into it, he stopped and said without turning around, "When she gets out of that… _state_ she's in… tell her I'll be back for her."

Namine stared at Axel's uncharacteristically stiff back while he stepped into the dark corridors and disappeared from sight. Then she looked at the girl called Avalon. "What is going _on _around here?"

000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Zexion, wake up!"

#(Huh? Wha…?)#

"Zexion, if you make me tend to your wounds, you _will _be the subject of my next experiment."

"Oh, oh. Zexion, you'd better get up!"

"Let it go, Vexen. You already told Marluxia he'd be the subject of your next experiment. I would enjoy that thoroughly."

Zexion moaned as his senses began to return to him. His body ached all over, as though he'd just gone through a wall of pins. He realized that he was laying flat on his back. On… a bed?

"Hey, his hand just twitched! And I think I heard a groan!"

#(Larxene? It can't be. But it smells like her… And I heard someone say "Vexen." But aren't they dead?)# Zexion opened his eyes slowly, wincing at the pain that shot through his body. To his utter shock, Zexion woke up to Vexen, Larxene, and Lexaeus all bending over him. "Where…? How are…? But you're…! I'm…!"

"Surprised?" Vexen asked, smirking. "I can't say I wasn't."

Lexaeus nodded in agreement and offered Zexion a hand, pulling the bluish-silver haired man off the bed and to his feet.

Zexion surveyed his surroundings curiously. There was a plain bed (which he'd just gotten off of) with some device labeled "Gameboy" lying next to the pillow, a few bags on the floor, and a light hanging from the ceiling. It was otherwise bare, like the person who owned it had just moved in. "Where _are _we?"

"If I'm not mistaken," Vexen smirked cruelly, "We're in your _girlfriend's_ bedroom."

"My…?" Zexion felt a blush spread over his face as he realized what Vexen had just said. "Avalon isn't my…"

Larxene grinned gleefully. "I think I'm in love with you," she quoted, adopting a sad look and attempting to deepen her voice. Then, she struck a cute pose, facing the opposite direction, and allowed her voice to go back to normal. "I love you, too. But…"

"That's enough, Larxene," Vexen said shortly, his lip curling in disgust. "I'd rather not witness that scene again, interesting though it was."

Larxene pouted and turned to face Zexion, then a smile spread across her face. "Aaaw, Zexion's blushing!"

Zexion was indeed blushing a shade that would have rivaled Axel's hair color had the man been there. He turned to the bed and examined it as an excuse to hide his face from the others. But he couldn't help but ask what was on his mind. "How do you know what happened between us?"

"Come and see," Vexen replied, leading the way as Lexaeus half drug Zexion through the door by his hood, Larxene following close behind.

"You three haven't changed at all," Zexion sighed.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

They herded Zexion into the living room, where Marluxia sat in the only chair watching a TV that appeared to be connected to a device labeled "PS 2". Zexion stopped short when he saw the image on the screen. "Avalon?" he breathed. "Why is she crying?" He wanted nothing more than to be able to help her, or at least comfort her.

Marluxia looked away from the TV and regarded Zexion, a smirk on his face. "Because _you _died, Zexion" he responded.

Zexion was dumbfounded. "What? That's a dumb reason for her to… There's nothing to cry over! I never existed!"

Marluxia gave a scoffing laugh. "You certainly existed enough for her to fall in love with you. Why wouldn't you exist enough for her to cry over your death?"

Zexion stared at the screen. Maybe Marluxia was right, but…

Larxene exchanged a smirk with Marluxa just before the brownish-haired man slapped Zexion across the face, leaving a red mark in the shape of a hand. Marluxia was known for being better at slapping than most girls.

"Ow!" Zexion exclaimed, holding his cheek. "What in the name of Kingdom Hearts was _that _for!"

"For not _telling _me what was going on," the man hissed. "First, Riku appears in the castle I've been put in charge of, and then you find the Guardian?"

"He already slapped all of us when we explained the situation to him," Vexen informed Zexion.

Zexion stared at Larxene, Vexen, and Lexaeus in surprise. Now that he looked, they all sported matching handprints on their faces. Except… "Why does Vexen have two slap marks?"

"Because the bd slapped me back, that's why," Marluxia snapped, his eyes flashing dangerously. "He said something to the effect that I have no right to talk because I was about to stage a rebellion. I must say, I haven't the slightest what he was talking about." Marluxia sported an innocent look, but his eyes said, "Disagree with me and I'll sick my cherry blossoms on you."

Zexion tried very hard not to laugh. Vexen and Marluxia never did get along. Then he remembered Avalon and looked back at the screen, concern written all over his face. "Didn't Axel try to cheer her up?" As much as he now despised the man, Axel did seem to genuinely care about Avalon. If Zexion couldn't watch over her, at least he knew Axel would.

Larxene giggled. "Oh, he tried. Looked like he was going to cry himself when he saw her like this."

"Well, where is he now?" Zexion asked irritably.

"Hiding from Riku," Vexen replied coldly. "Like the coward he is."

"Coward?" Lexaeus asked, crossing his arms. "Or genius?"

Everyone turned to stare at him.

"Don't you get it?" the man asked the others. "He manipulated the situation to get the traitors," he shot a glance at Larxene and Marluxia, "Killed, killing Vexen- who he didn't like- in the process. And-"

"He faced off against Sora and faked his own death so both Sora and I would leave him alone," Marluxia finished with a look of dawning realization.

Lexaeus nodded. "And then he sought refuge in the basement. He was perfectly happy helping Zexion from behind the scenes, until-"

"He found out that Avalon was supposed to kill Zexion and didn't have it in her to do it!" Larxene exclaimed, smirking at Zexion.

"What!" the bluish- haired Nobody replied, eyes widened. "Is that why…?"

"So he decided to do it himself," she finished with a wink.

Zexion stared at the screen, awestruck.

"But he realized that killing Zexion would get him in trouble." Vexen continued, rubbing his chin in thought, "So he convince my experiment to do it for him, eliminating the extra Riku in the process."

Lexaeus nodded solemnly. "And now he's staying out of Riku's way to avoid unnecessary conflict. He's already done more than his duty." Lexaeus stared around the room, looking each  
Organization member in the eye. "So what do you think? Coward or genius?"

No one wanted to admit the obvious conclusion.

LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I'm gonna explain why they're popping up in her room eventually, before you ask (which I know someone would've).

I'm really nervous about this chapter, so please review!

Ummmmmmmmmm. Adding this on 8-25-06. NOTICE: I'm not allowed on the computer for a while. Mom doesn't know I'm on right now. I'll update as soon as I can get on, but PLEASE don't get mad at me. Like those last 2 reviewers I got. It's NOT my fault!


	10. What Now?

OK, for those of you who didn't read my story in the last day, I added a little notice. I'm not allowed on the computer right now. Mom doesn't know I'm on. I'm sneaking on as much as I can, but don't expect daily updates. Pleeeeeeeeeaaase be patient. And don't flame me. If you want to flame someone, flame my mother. Not me.

School for me starts on Monday. Yeah, we're wierd. We got off for summer at the end of June, so we're starting on Monday. But we did have band camp this week. Again. And we were marching on a parking lot for five hours in 101 degree weather with no shade. I have a new appreciation for water. And AC.

And for those of you who have asked yes, I'm in high school. And yes, I would like to be an author. Or a musician. Whichever one.

Thankyou for the reviews! Sorry, I can't thank everyone. Like I said, I snuck on the comp and don't know when I'll get kicked off. But thankyou!

Disclaimer: I don't own KH.

LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Avalon finally stopped crying and looked up, whipping her eyes with a gloved finger. "He wouldn't want me to cry…" she muttered to herself, smiling a little through her tears. "He'd think I was being silly."

On the other side of the TV, Zexion smiled a little at how well she knew him already.

"Are you alright now?" Namine asked gently from Avalon's side.

"Wha?" Avalon jumped when she noticed the younger girl beside her. "How long have you been there!"

"Since you woke up."

"Oh…" Avalon looked around, embarrassed. She didn't like crying in front of people, but somehow she seemed to be doing a lot of that these days. "I'm… fine," she replied. That was a lie.

Namine studied her intently. Avalon was indeed doing a remarkable job of pulling herself back together, but her eyes retained a telltale hollow look. "I'm Namine. Your name's Avalon, right?" she asked, trying to lighten the girl's mood. "That's what Axel called you."

Avalon flinched at Axel's name. "He… was here?" she asked quietly, staring at the white-tiled ground.

"Yes," Namine said in surprise. "Don't you remember? It was only a few minutes ago. And he seemed really worried about you." Her expression became thoughtful. She'd never seen the fiery Nobody look so upset, even when Roxas left. "He fastened something around your neck and said it was yours."

Avalon's hand followed a chain down to the area right above her cleavage and closed around the cross. "I…" She looked down at the necklace and tried not to cry. Zexion had worn this only a few minutes ago, and Axel had brought it back to her right after watching his death. #(Why?)# It was so odd: Axel had no intention of killing Zexion before. But after Avalon explained what was going on, Axel had brought her here and left her with Namine. #(But… why?)# Avalon's eyes widened in horror as she realized what had happened. Axel hadn't told her the whole truth when he said she wouldn't have to kill Zexion. He didn't mention he would do it for her. Tears formed in her eyes again. "He… Axel killed him… so I wouldn't have to…" The tears flowed freely while she clutched the necklace.

Namine slowly nodded. She wasn't supposed to tell Avalon, but the girl had figured it out on her own.

"So then… I did kill him. It wasn't Axel. I was always the cause." Avalon understood her role now. She was a pawn of fate, thrown into the game as a wildcard to bring about things that wouldn't have occurred otherwise. And not everything was supposed to be intentional. "My _existence _is what caused this. Nothing would have happened if I hadn't been here! I'm not supposed to exist here, but somehow I am at the same time. It makes no sense!"

"Maybe," Namine said slowly, "That's why the Guardian is supposed to form strong ties to the Nobodies."

Avalon looked at the small girl curiously.

"Nobodies are beings without hearts, wandering in darkness, with no purpose but to regain their lost hearts. We're not supposed to exist at all. You are a denizen of fate and light with an abnormally strong heart, but also not supposed to exist." Namine smiled. "And yet, the fate of all the worlds is influenced by us. So in a way, we're opposites, but we're still in the same boat."

Avalon blinked.

"Maybe…" Namine continued, "Both are supposed to support each other. After all, both understand what not existing is like, and we each have weaknesses and strengths the other doesn't."

Avalon pulled Namine into a hug. "Thanks."

Namine beamed. This was the only person other than Sora, Riku, and the Riku Replica who'd been nice to her so far in her life as a Nobody. "Glad I could help."

000000000000000000000000000000000

Avalon and Namine discussed issues like fate, purpose, and existence for a while, both trying to understand the profound concepts better.

"So… do you know what's going to happen next?" Namine asked curiously.

"Vaguely. If I'm right, a man called DiZ will be paying us a visit soon."

The girls jumped as a man wearing red bandages and a red cloak appeared in the room through a portal of darkness.

"Good job," Namine said reverently while Avalon disguised her jump with a laugh.

DiZ stared at Namine in thought. "You are Kiari's Nobody, are you not?" the man asked.

Namine nodded slowly while wondering how this man knew her other.

"Really!" Avalon asked the girl in surprise. "I thought you reminded me a bit of her somehow, and you said something to Larxene earlier about being her shadow, but I didn't think I was actually _right_." She shook her head in disbelief. "Wow."

DiZ's gaze rested on the odd girl beside Namine. "And who might you be?"

Avalon grinned. She was sure DiZ had an eyebrow raised or something. "I'm Avalon Rain," she said brightly, then summoned her weapons, gave them a twirl, and dismissed them. Her mark glowed as though to accent her next statement. "The Guardian." She wasn't going to introduce herself this way to most people, but her instincts told her that DiZ should know who she was, and Avalon was learning to trust her instincts.

DiZ stared for a few seconds, then began to laugh. "The Guardian, the Keyblade Master, the withch, Riku, and six Organization members all in one castle." He stared at Avalon as though she was an omen. "The pieces are falling into place…" Then he looked at Namine. "Riku will arrive in this room soon. I trust you understand his current dilemma?"

Namine nodded cautiously. She didn't particularly like or trust this man, but Avalon seemed to trust him to a degree. And Namine knew Avalon's instincts were impeccable. It came with her job.

"Then you know what to do whan he arrives?" DiZ asked.

Namine nodded again. Yes, she would have done it without DiZ's intervention.

"Good," DiZ said in satisfaction and turned to the door. "I will direct him here."

The two girls watched him leave.

Namine stared after him, unable to ebb her curiosity. "Would it mess things up," she asked tentatively, "If I ask what will happen?"

Avalon was about to say she didn't know much when she realized that wasn't true. Bits and pieces of cutscenes from Kingdom Hearts II had found their way into her dreams when she was asleep against the pod. It was as though the information was being fed into her brain. Weird. Avalon shook her head to clear her thoughts. "No, it won't mess with anything. As a matter of fact," she said smiling, "This explains how you'll know so much later on… I'm _supposed _to tell you most of what will happen later."

"Interesting…" Namine looked nervous and eager at the same time.

Avalon remembered her dreams, gathering information from the bits and pieces. Since she could only see things from game cutscenes there was nothing specifically about her in the visions, but she would be able to figure out what she was supposed to do eventually. Like now. "Riku will accept his darkness, choosing to fight Ansem here."

Namine smiled. That was what she'd hoped for.

"But he won't choose a dark path," Avalon said thoughtfully. "Riku's light and dark will support eachother, and so his path will always be the one in-between. He'll join DiZ… That's why DiZ wants you to help Riku: so Riku's stronger when they ally…" Avalon frowned. "I'll explain the reat later…" DiZ's purposes, past, and future were still clouded from the Guardian.

She shook her head. "I think I'll go to one of the other rooms and get the hang of my weapons. I've never actually used them before, and I'll be needing them soon." That wasn't the only reason: the other was that Avalon was still upset about Zexion's death and had no one to take it out on. It wasn't completely the Riku Replica's, Axel's, or even her own fault. The only thing she could completely blame it on was fate, and it's hard to be angry with a vague idea. And so, Avalon would take it out on some Heartless.

"Alright," Namine said hesitantly. "But be careful."

Avalon laughed as she walked off. "What are you, my mother?" she called over her shoulder.

It wasn't until she was obviously out of hearing range that Namine remembered Axel's message. "Ooops… Oh well." The girl shrugged to herself grimly. "Too late now…"

00000000000000000000000000000000

Minutes later, Avalon was on the next floor slashing through swarms of Heartless. (And getting munny!) She was practically a pro with her weapons already, as though they were a part of her. As a Neoshadow rose out of the ground to attack, the girl jumped out of its reach, somersaulted in midair (taking out a few airborne Heartless in the process), and slashed downward as she fell, destroying the Neoshadow in one blow.

Her fighting was like a deadly dance; her movements graceful, strong, quick, and often appearing to be choreographed. She jumped in a circular movement, slicing through all the Heartless around her. With a few twirls, air combos, and blitzes, all the Heartless were gone. Avalon tossed her head to make her hair fall back into place. "Well, so much for this room." Avalon considered her options: either go back to the pod room or fight her way forward. She decided to move on and walked toward the door to the next room.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Avalon spun around to find Axel leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, his green eyes focused on her.

"You're pretty good," he remarked, eyeing Avalon's long knives. "I wouldn't enjoy having to seriously face off against you."

Avalon blushed a little. She knew this was high praise from Axel.

"You might want some pants or something if you're gonna do those flips, though."

"Whyyyyyyyy_oh_." Avalon's eyes widened in horror as she realized what he was telling her. He'd seen some stuff she'd rather not have him see.

Axel smirked. "If it's any consolation," he said, waving a hand, "I really don't know why you're so afraid of people seeing that area. It's not like you're too fat or skinny or anything. And you're not wearing a _thong_. Now if you were, say, Larxene…"

"Then _what_?" Larxene snarled at the TV.

Axel shrugged at the odd look on Avalon's face. "I'm just saying you shouldn't be afraid to show what you've got."

Avalon blushed scarlet and turned to leave, muttering about idiot pervs.

"Yup," Zexion agreed silently. Marluxia was busy trying to not die laughing while helping Vexen keep Larxene from damaging the TV.

At this point, Axel realized how very perverted that comment sounded. "I didn't mean it like that!" he shouted after her. "I was just observing the facts! From a … psychological standpoint!"

"Whatever," the girl muttered, continuing toward the door. She wasn't in the mood.

Axel grabbed her hood (the first thing he could reach). "Look, I'm not at liberty to explain, but I _really _wouldn't go in there if I were you."

Avalon turned her head and stared into his eyes. "You think someone from the Organization might arrive for an investigation, don't you?"

Axel smirked. She was bright. He really didn't have to betray the Organization to gat a point across to her.

Avalon sighed and dismissed her weapons, then jerked her hood out of the Nobody's hand. "Alright, but you'd _better _be willing to explain some things to me."

"Glad to see you're feeling better," Axel retorted half-sarcastically as they walked to a wall and sat against it side-by-side. He examined her curiously. "How'd you learn to summon your weapons, anyway?"

Avalon smiled softly and eyed her cross. "Zexion taught me…"

"Oh." Axel was silent. Avalon felt a wave of guilt emanate from him.

#(So it _was_ him,)# she thought sadly. She felt her eyes glisten with tears and looked away, but not quickly enough.

"You alright?" Axel asked, automatically raising his hand to wipe a tear from under her eye.

"Don't touch me!"

Axel let his hand drop, watching Avalon closely.

She could feel that he was hurt and confused, but didn't care. "I know it was you! I know you were the one who caused his death!" She refused to meet his gaze, fully knowing her anger would melt and reason would return, once again leaving her with no one to blame. And then she would break down again.

"I… how…!" Axel was flabbergasted. #(How the _hl _does she know these things!)#

"Avalon…" Axel's voice was softer than usual. "I… didn't do it to hurt you."

"You killed the person I told you I loved and expected me to be like 'Aaaw, gee. Thanks' !" Avalon choked a bit as she started to cry. She turned her back to the bewildered man. "Just… just go away," she began, hating herself for every word, but plowing on for some odd reason she didn't fully understand herself. "Leave me alone."

Axel stood up and attempted to mask his pain with anger (it only worked because Avalon was now too angry to sense anyone else's emotions). "Fine! Be like that! See if I ever help you again!"

And then he was gone, leaving Avalon to silently seethe at him, fate, and now herself.

0000000000000000000000000000000

Axel stomped through the darkness, fuming to himself. #(What the hl is wrong with that girl! I saved her from having to kill her idiot boyfriend! She would've had to do it herself if I didn't! And why _Zexy_!)# His lip curled in disgust. #(I mean, the bd backstabbed his master for chrissake! Why can she forgive that, but not me! What's the difference!)# (She doesn't know yet, actually.)

The Nobody's eyes widened as he realized it was because he'd killed _Zexion _that Avalon couldn't bring herself to completely forgive him. She'd feel like she was betraying her boyfriend if she stayed friendly with his killer. #(And if I know her, she's figured out why I did it, too. If that's the case she doesn't know whether to thank me or slap me!)# "Aaaaargh!" Axel yelled, rubbing his aching head. "Why do feelings always make things so dn complicated!" He sighed and resumed his walk through the darkness. #(Maybe… we'd both be better off if I really _did_ leave her alone.)# For some reason, this thought made Axel incredibly sad.

The Nobody opened a portal back to the normal world and emerged in Marluxia's room. It was amazing how many flowers Organization XIII's ex-number 11 could grow with no sunlight.

Axel grinned evilly at the assorted plants.

He needed a pick-me-up, and burning things never failed to amuse him.

LLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sorry this is shorter than the others, and the chapter end isn't quite where I'd normally put it. The first scane in the next chapter I post would've been the last one in this chapter if I'd had time.

Please review. And please don't flame me if I don't update as quickly as usual. You have no clue how lucky I was to get away with this one.


	11. Theories and Reunions

Ok, sorry for the wait! Mom caught me on the computer last time I posted, so there were... issues. I've got an English project now, so she _had_ to let me on! Hah! Anyway, due to the above factors, this chapter is once again shorter than I wanted, and not exactly where I wanted to stop, but it's UP.

Thankyou for the reviews! And a lot of questions are now answered on my profile! So, if you asked a question, it's probably there. If not, it'll probably be there once I get some time to make sure I got everything.

Oh, and check out my friend m3thod-mak3r 's stories Stranger Than Fiction and Thunder Struck. Like she says at the beginning of Chapter 1, Thunder Struck started out as a joke between us ("Larxene-Zexion pairing! How the heck would that work!") but turned out being really good. Stranger Than Fiction is about what happens to Axel _after_ he dies. It involves Jak and Daxter, some OCs, and a buncha kinda creepy fanfic writers. Oh, and she's writing a parody on the Davinci Code, but I don't know much about it 'cause I haven't read the book or seen the movie (yes, I'm a loser).

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Oreos, Kettle Corn... Let's just say I don't own anything but Avalon.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

"Hey! I found popcorn!"

Zexion, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Marluxia turned away from the TV and saw Larxene holding a box of Kettle Corn.

"Excellent," Vexen commented with a smirk. "I was just beginning to get hungry. Perhaps because I died."

The other Nobodies nodded in agreement.

Normally, Nobodies didn't need food, drink, sleep, or even bathing. Why? Who knows? Their bodies simply didn't need the upkeep to function. But when they were wounded or exhausted, sleep, food, and drink helped speed up the process of healing and regaining energy. Thus, it made sense that these Organization members, who had spent all or their strength and taken heavy injuries, would want such things.

"Was there anything else?" Lexaeus asked hopefully. "Like a steak?"

Larxene rolled her eyes. Lexaeus had a well-known affinity for meat. #(Men,)# she thought to herself. #(What is it with men and meat?)# "No, Lexaeus," she sighed impatiently. "There's only this, some potato chips, and a box of Oreos."

"Oreos?"

"Potato chips?"

Vexen's and Marluxia's heads snapped up expectantly at the mention of their favorite snacks.

"Ugh." It seemed Larxene and Zexion were the only sane ones in the house. It almost made Larxene miss Axel. Almost.

Zexion sighed and snatched the popcorn from Larxene. "We'd better keep this," he told her quietly. "They're going to finish the Oreos and chips off quickly… Trust me. I know."

"Mrow?" Larxene cocked her head curiously.

"If you've ever been to anything that involves food with these two… which I unfortunately have…"

Larxene laughed. "I get it, I get it."

And so, Zexion and Larxene made some popcorn and hid the rest while Vexen and Marluxia gobbled the chips and Oreos, snarling at Lexaeus whenever he tried to take some for himself.

"Haven't you ever heard of sharing?" the large Tomahawk wielder snapped at Marluxia.

"Vexen, did you hear something?" Marluxia asked between Oreos.

"Nothing," the older man replied, crunching his chips.

"It must have been my imagination."

"Or the wind."

This cooperation was rather scary because the two usually _hated _each other. Witness the power of food.

Zexion sighed and shoved his own made bag of popcorn at a grateful Lexaeus, then went back to the kitchen to pop himself another bag.

Larxene couldn't help but chuckle. "You're always so thoughtful," she whispered playfully. "You try to hide it with indifference, but you're always thinking of others. That's probably why that girl fell for you…"

Zexion blushed and felt his temper flare at the same time. "Her name is Avalon, not 'that girl,' and I am _not _always thinking of others." Being a "soft" Nobody never led to anything good. Just look at Demyx. The Organization's number nine got teased and pranked by most of the other members. No, it was much better to appear emotionless like most of the others.

Larxene shrugged at his response. "Whatever, I really don't care." She looked at the TV. "What do you think about all this, anyway?"

"Huh?" Zexion wondered aloud. "You mean why we're here and not dissolved in the darkness?"

"Not quite what I had in mind, but I'd like to hear it," the woman responded with obvious interest. "Why do you think we're still around?"

Zexion stared at the TV and rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, theoretically, we can't really die because we're already dead. So what's left of us is simply absorbed into the darkness that it was reborn in. Correct?"

"Yeah…"

"Avalon supposedly has the powers of light at her command. That's where her weapons and powers stem from, rather than the darkness ours do. Do you follow so far?"

"Sorta…"

"I believe she wanted to save us so badly that her heart sought us out while we were being consumed and, with her powers of light, rescued us from the darkness enveloping us."

Larxene looked confused. "So… You mean that we didn't really die, we were just sort of… falling into darkness?"

"Correct."

"And… she saved us unconsciously with the light?"

Zexion nodded.

"But… Why would she want to save us? Why not just you? She didn't even really know us! There was nothing in it for her!"

Zexion smiled a little bit. "She's… just… like that."

Larxene stared at the man in shock. That was a very gentle, loving sort of comment. And the serene expression on his face… That just _wasn't _normal coming from him.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaanyway," the woman said hurriedly, "I got really off subject. What I meant to ask was what you think about what's going on in there." She nodded at the TV. "Avalon is acting quite strange. So is Axel, come to think of it. Any thoughts?"

A flood of emotions Zexion had been holding back finally crashed through his defenses. Yes, he had many thoughts on the situation.

He was both flattered and annoyed by how upset Avalon was by his death. It was an odd feeling, but there it was anyway.

And why did she reject Axel? She'd seemed to get along with him just fine before… As a matter of fact, Zexion would've pegged Axel as more likely to end up with her than him. So why did she act so cold around him now? Not that he would've minded normally, but it seemed to be tearing her up.

And finally, (the thing Zexion didn't want to think about) was Axel the other person Avalon had fallen in love with? He'd sensed the possibility pretty much since the two met. They just seemed to hit it off immediately, like they'd been _meant _for each other. He'd been jealous. He hadn't realized it until just recently, but he was jealous of them. But now, Avalon had just turned Axel away, even though it seemed to be hurting her as much as Axel. #(Was… she doing it for me?)# The thought made him feel as egotistical as Axel, but she'd already disproved everything he thought about himself as a Nobody…

"Zexion?" Larxene asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "Your thoughts?"

"Nothing worth repeating."

Nearby, Vexen and Marluxia summoned their weapons and stole Lexaeus' bag of popcorn, having already run out of chips and Oreos.

00000000000000000000000000000000

Avalon clenched her fists and stood up decisively. She was angry at pretty much everything at this point, and wanted to take it out on more Heartless. Unfortunately, she couldn't progress any further without risking being detected by the Organization (according to Axel, anyway).

"Fine," the girl muttered to herself, turning around and walking back the way she came. "I'll just go downstairs and see what's going on."

Which turned out to be pointless, because the door chose that moment to swing open in front of her (forcing her to jump backwards to avoid being hit) and revealed a surprised Riku.

"Avalon!" The boy's eyes widened as he stared at the girl. A slow grin spread across his face. "You're alright!"

Before Avalon could say anything along the lines of "Gee, thanks for noticing," she noticed him staring at her curiously.

"What did Vexen want from you, anyway? And what's with the Organization cloak?"

Avalon blinked. She'd forgotten that she was wearing the Organization uniform. "Oh…" she looked down at herself. "It's a long story…

And you have to finish your business with Ansem so we can get out of here. I'll explain later." #(Maybe.)#

Riku walked into the room and stared down at her in thought. "How'd you know about Ansem? I didn't tell you anything about him…"

"Talent"

Riku glared at her.

Avalon sighed. "_Later_," she hissed impatiently. "I'll tell you everything _later_." She just wasn't in the mood. Between Zexion's death and having snapped at Axel for killing him, the girl was in a foul mood.

Riku studied the girl in concern. She wasn't acting like herself.

Avalon sighed and slapped herself mentally. #(First some Heartless, then Axel. Now, I'm taking it out on Riku…)# She crossed her arms and looked sideways at the wall, avoiding the boy's gaze. "Sorry, that was a little harsh… Look, while we were separated some stuff happened that I'd rather not talk about right now…"

Riku was startled by how _sad _she looked. "Are you alright?"

Still staring away, the girl laughed humorlessly. "That's a good question. Depends on your definition, I guess." She shrugged and shook her head. "Relatively, yeah, I'm fine." She met Riku's gaze and smiled in an attempt to keep him from worrying. She could tell it didn't work, though, because he still gave off a worried sort of vibe. "Anyway," she said, trying to change the conversation topic, "We have to get out of here, so go take care of Ansem." She pointed to the center of the room, where she knew Ansem would appear now that Riku was there. She would have offered to help, but she knew this was Riku's fight. "And good luck."

Riku considered her again, then nodded and walked to the center of the room. "Come out, Ansem!" he yelled, holding his arms out and looking around. "I know you're here! I can smell you!"

Riku and Avalon (who was in the corner of the room) adopted defensive positions as Ansem appeared right in front of Riku. "Oh, I know what you can do," he said, almost proudly. "Your skill with darkness has matured…"

Avalon nodded to herself in silent agreement. Riku's new senses almost reminded her of Zexion's. The hint of a smile flitted across her face at this realization.

Ansem looked past Riku to Avalon and raised an eyebrow. "What have we here? The Guardian?" He chuckled when Avalon shot him a "Go die right now" glare. Her dislike for him was obvious. "Friends in high places now, Riku?"

"This is between you and me, Ansem," Riku snapped impatiently.

Ansem shrugged. It made no difference to him. "But I don't understand," he said, regarding the boy curiously. "Why accept the darkness, but refuse me?" Ansem sneered at the boy. "Are you still afraid of the dark?"

Riku smiled. "I used to be. But that's not it now. The truth is…" He summoned his weapon and raised it into a good attack position. "You just really stink."

Avalon chuckled and sat down in her corner. Now things would get interesting.

Ansem raised his arms and darkened the room, setting his ideal battleground. "Submit!" he yelled as his shadow guardian swung at Riku, who easily dodged the attack.

Riku skidded to a stop behind Ansem and slashed, landing the first blow.

"Submit!" Ansem's guardian attacked again, this time barley hitting Riku.

Riku went into dark mode and threw a ball of fire at the man, making him flinch.

Avalon grinned. This was more fun than beating up random Heartless. Except…

"Submit!"

Riku dodged an attack.

"Submit!"

Riku jumped backwards to avoid another attack.

"Submit!"

(Yes, this is what the last battle under Reverse/Rebirth is like).

"Yo, Mister Darkness!" Avalon yelled irritably. "If you say 'submit' one more time, _I'll _get involved. And then _you'll _submit!"

Ansem didn't respond, but he actually did stop yelling "submit" when his guardian-thing attacked. For a while.

Eventually, Ansem dashed across the field insanely fast, hitting Riku into the air each time he passed. Apparently this took a lot of energy, because he soon slowed to a stop and bent over to regain his breath.

Riku attacked as frequently as he could during this period of time, until Ansem recovered enough energy to attack him with another cry of "Submit!"

"Aaaargh!" Avalon commented from the corner.

She was relieved when Riku landed a particularly strong swing right in Ansem's chest, weakening him enough to make the room return to normal.

Riku jumped backwards, still facing Ansem. "Ansem," he snarled, then made a sliding dash at the man, running his blade straight through the target. "It's over."

"Not… over…" Ansem grunted, doubled over in pain. "I gave you… the dark… My shadow… lingers…" And with that, he disappeared, sending a shockwave of darkness through the room and plunging Riku into the realm of darkness with the last of his strength.

Avalon knew Riku would be all right, so she waited for a few seconds, and then watched Riku reappear in the room with King Mickey. Taking no notice of her, they discussed Riku's dark and Ansem's shadow inside of him.

"Your darkness is your own. I used to think _all_ darkness was bad, but in you, light and dark mingle in a way I've never seen. Back to back, supporting each other. You've taken a road I never thought of." Mickey extended a hand toward the boy. "And if it's alright with you, I'd like to walk that road with you."

Avalon cocked her head as the two shook hands and smiled thoughtfully. #(Light and dark working together, supporting each other. Is that how things were meant to be?)# It was an interesting thought. If that was true, she and the Nobodies really were connected, as well as all darkness and light. #(And Riku's the middle ground…)#

"Oh, that's right. This is Avalon."

Avalon snapped out of her thoughtful daze and saw Riku and Mickey standing in front of her, Riku holding out a hand toward her and Mickey staring at her curiously. She stood up quickly, her cloak jangling at the movement.

"Avalon, this is King Mickey." Riku motioned toward the huge mouse, who bowed.

"Oh!" Avalon bowed to the King gracefully and respectfully. "It's a pleasure to meet you.

"The pleasure's all mine." Despite his friendly air, Mickey was staring at the girl in an almost calculating way. "Riku seems to know you, but why are you wearing an Organization uniform?"

Riku nodded. "I asked the same thing, but she didn't answer. She wasn't wearing it when we met."

Avalon smiled at the thought of Demyx's reaction to the answer for that same question. "I'd love to explain now," she said half-heartedly, "But we have to leave as soon as possible. An Organization member could arrive at any time for an investigation."

"How do you know?"

"A… friend… told me." Avalon frowned. She wasn't exactly sure that was the truth: Axel hadn't _told_ her, and he wasn't… _was_ he a friend? The girl felt extremely sad and confused at that thought. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it and met Riku's penetrating gaze. He _knew_ something was wrong. Avalon sighed in defeat: she didn't want to tell him everything, but she had a feeling Riku wouldn't let her keep her recent experiences a secret from him. "Look," she said, putting her hands up in surrender, "I'll tell you everything after we get the heck out of here. Alright?"

The silver-haired boy smiled and pushed some of his long hair out of his face, nearly making Avalon blush. "That's fine with me. Let's go."

"Umm…" A thought occurred to Avalon. "Do you know where the exit is?"

Riku froze.

"Oops!" Mickey said, smiling apologetically. "Forgot that part."

Avalon groaned. This could _not _be a good thing.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Yeah, the're lost in Castle Oblivion. It's not that hard to do, when you think about it...

By the way, does Axel remind anyone else of Reno? Like, a lot?

Anyway, PLEASE review! Ask questions! Give suggestions! Make comments! Or answer my random questions! I like hearing from people!

And please continue to be patient about the updating! I'm sneaking on as much as I can!


	12. Escaping Castle Oblivion

I'm BAAAAAAAACK! And don't kill me! I was making this a long chapter, so it took a while to type! And the reason I updated my profile was because I have this class where we get some time to do almost whatever we want on the internet, so I checked and answered my reviews. So don't kill me!

Thankyou for the reviews! Thankyou for referring me to friends! And I suppose a lot of that has been happening based on the large amount of Yu-Gi-Oh named-reviewers who all started reviewing within 24 hours of eachother. And if anyone knows Marluxia's Guy, please help me convince him that I'm not crazy and Marluxia is a man, not a woman. I tried, but I think it got on his nerves. It makes me sad inside. : ( Oh, and love the name, Reno's Girl.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Avalon.

LLLLLLLLLLLLIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

"There's an exit somewhere on the 1st floor," Avalon explained while the trio walked through the white halls (Avalon and Riku were in front of the short-legged Mickey). "And while we're here, we'd better get you two some cloaks…"

Riku turned his head to look at her. "Why?"

Avalon sighed. She really didn't think saying "Because I saw it in my visions" was a good idea, so she settled for quick logic. "You don't want to meet Sora yet, right?"

"Yeah…"

"He has a lot of friends, right?"

"Uh-huh…"

"He's told all of his friends what you look like, right?"

"Right…" Riku's eyes widened as it sunk in. "_Oh_. I get it." He smiled at Avalon's intelligence. "His friends would tell him if they heard any whispers of someone who looked like me."

Avalon smiled and nodded. "And the King doesn't want everyone to know that he's around, so…"

Riku shuddered at the thought of being mistaken for an Organization member, but the way Avalon put it, he had no other choice. "All right, we'll make a detour for the cloaks. But where are they?"

Avalon thought back to Axel and Zexion's conversation on that very subject, even though it hurt to think about the two together. She already missed that time, when she was so happy to be near both of them, and they didn't hate each other. And Zexion was alive. She nearly walked into a wall when she was supposed to turn a corner, jolting her back to the present.

"Jeez!" Riku grabbed Avalon's arm and directed her away from the wall. "Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry." The girl tossed her head back and forth in an attempt to shake off the memories. She was doing a lot of that lately. "Anyway, it should be somewhere around here… The room next to Marluxia's."

They'd passed by rooms labeled 4 and 5, which had very little of notability. Other than some weights and test tubes. The test tubes freaked them out a little. A little as in Riku yelling "HOLY ST, WHAT IS IN THOSE THINGS!" and slamming the door shut.

They all figured that one was Vexen's room. Which made them even more worried about what was in the test tubes.

At any rate, at least those rooms told them they were getting close. Ish.

"Another door," Riku commented, stopping abruptly in front of a room labeled 6, thus causing Mickey to crash into him. "Oops. Sorry, Mickey."

"S'alright."

Riku opened the door to a room that looked more like a library than anything else. There was, as with the other rooms, a white bed in the center, a dim light from some unseen source, and a few shelves. But in this room, the shelves were covered with books, which also lined the walls in careful piles. Many of them were on Psychology and History from the various worlds, particularly one called "Radiant Garden." Others were obviously hand-made science journals.

Avalon couldn't help but smile. #(This… must be Zexion's room.)# She liked it more than any of the other rooms in the castle: books always seemed warm and inviting to her. She could see herself practically living somewhere like this, spending hours upon hours reading. #(So he was number 6, huh?)# She almost cried when she realized she'd thought, "was."

"This isn't it," she muttered, turning her back on a confused Riku and Mickey. "Let's go on."

"Ooookey…" Staring in concern at Avalon, Riku closed the door. He knew by now not to ask. Instead, he filed the question away in his "list of things to ask when we get out of here."

Next, they came to a door labeled 8.

Riku opened this door and peered inside, Avalon leaning against his back to peer through the door crack, and Mickey peering through the space below them.

"Umm…" Riku said slowly, "Why is there a _campfire_ in this one…?"

Avalon stifled a giggle. "Must be Axel's room."

Yet another question for Riku to file into that cabinet in his mind. That thing was getting bigger than Maleficent's ego.

"Having fun?" a voice asked from behind them.

The three jumped and turned around quickly, finding themselves face-to-face with a very amused Axel.

"Organization member!" Riku spat, pushing Avalon behind him and summoning his Souleater. Following suit, Mickey summoned his Keyblade.

Avalon just stared with wide eyes like a deer caught in the headlights. She didn't know how to act _or_ feel.

Axel glanced at Avalon, and then waved a chastising finger at Mickey and Riku. "Those aren't very good manners. Invading someone's room and attacking them." He shrugged and rolled his green eyes to the ceiling dramatically. "Here I am, minding my own business and going to my room, and-"

"Alright! We get it!" Despite the impatient tone of his voice, Riku allowed his weapon to disappear. This Organization member didn't seem to be in the mood for fighting. "What do you want?"

The red-haired Nobody rolled his eyes again. "Safe passage to my room."

"What's the catch?"

"We all get to live."

Riku and Mickey exchanged confused looks. Why was he just letting them walk free?

Axel sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "You're not exactly making this easy. Didn't anyone ever tell you not to look a gift horse in the mouth?"

#(Translation: I don't feel like answering, so go away,)# Avalon thought to herself. She tugged on Riku's shirt. "Come on. Let's just go," she said when he turned his head slightly in her direction. She didn't feel like dealing with Axel yet, and the sooner she got away, the sooner she wouldn't have to worry about it.

Riku considered. He wasn't at ease turning his back to the Organization member, but there appeared to be no catch, and Avalon really seemed uncomfortable… Riku stepped away from the door and signaled with transparent politeness for Axel to go through.

Axel glared suspiciously at the boy, who glared right back. Avalon could have sworn she felt the air between them crackle.

The Nobody's green eyes flicked to Avalon for an instant, then focused on the door as he walked past the three companions. He slowed the slightest bit while he walked past the girl, as though he wanted to say something, but gave no other such indication and continued into his room, closing the door behind him.

Avalon wasn't sure how she felt. She was relieved, but… Somehow it made her sad that Axel hadn't addressed her in any way. She clenched her fists and walked away from Axel's room, heading toward the hall and into the next room.

"Hey, wait up!" Riku yelled after her, running to catch up.

"Slow down!" Mickey yelled and dashed after the teens as fast as his short legs could carry him.

And inside his room, Axel listened to their progress down the hall. "Take care of her," he said softly, staring into the fire.

0000000000000000000000000

"So let me get this straight," Larxene said as she leaned back against Marluxia's legs (he had the only chair, and the only other place to sit was the floor). "Avalon has Zexion _and _Axel?"

"What do you mean?" Vexen asked from his place on the floor next to Larxene.

On Larxene's other side, Zexion munched his popcorn determinedly. He refused to show his feelings on the subject.

"Well," Larxene replied with a grin. "We all know about her and Zexion…"

The others sniggered and stared at the poor man, who chewed his food with unnatural vigor and ended up literally biting his tongue.

"And the way Riku acts around her, he's obviously at least attracted to her."

"Really?" Marluxia asked curiously. "How so?"

"For example, haven't you noticed that he either stiffens or blushes whenever she gets close to him?"

"Hmmm…" Marluxia rubbed his chin in thought.

"And," Vexen added, "He's very protective of her."

"Like the time you decided to freeze her to death?" Zexion asked coldly. (They'd finally gotten Vexen to tell them how he captured Avalon). "That's not being protective, that's being decent." The truth was, Zexion had noticed those things, too. He just didn't want to admit them to himself.

Larxene giggled. She could read Zexion like an open book. #(Now, to tease or not to tease?)# she wondered to herself. The woman decided to be merciful and allow him to continue trying to fool himself. "Anyway, then there's Axel."

Zexion flinched despite his efforts.

"The way he treated Avalon right before and after he killed Zexion. Well…"

Everyone but Zexion, who was busy trying to figure out what Larxene was referring to) agreed. Axel's behavior had been unusually compassionate not only for a Nobody, but also for him.

"Then he practically calls her _hot!_ To her face!"

Marluxia desperately tried not to go into another fit of laughter at the memory of Axel's awkward compliment. His efforts weren't helped by the fact that Zexion was now visibly twitching, but still determinedly not saying anything.

Larxene continued listing off signs that Axel had fallen for Avalon, bothering Zexion more and more, and making everyone else snicker in delight.

"But why did Axel allow Riku to leave?" Marluxia asked their resident love psychologist. "It was completely unlike him, considering Riku's attitude."

Laxene grinned. "It's obvious! He doesn't want to hurt her any more than he already has. So, he's turning her over to Riku for protection."

#(Good!)# Zexion thought furiously, a surprising amount of rage building up inside him. #(She's better off if she doesn't associate with him!)#

"Zexy!"

Zexion flinched.

"Haha. I knew you'd respond to that!" Larxene exclaimed happily.

Zexion glared at her.

"Well, you weren't responding to your name, so-" Larxene was cut short by Marluxia's fits of uncontrollable laughter.

"Where… does that name come from?" Marluxia asked between laughs.

"Axel called him that."

Marluxia continued laughing, despite his efforts to stop. "Zexy? He called him _Zexy?_"

Zexion nodded cautiously, knowing something very unpleasant was about to happen.

Marluxia snorted and rubbed his chin. "Sexy Zexy… I think I'll start calling you that."

Most of the people in the room shot Marluxia a look that clearly asked "Are you _gay_?"

Zexion shuddered, then stared Marluxia straight in the eye and said, "If you call me that, you will force me to call you what Axel used to behind your back."

Larxene snickered.

Marluxia had a bad feeling about this. "What?" he growled impatiently.

Zexion smirked a truly evil smirk. "Blossom."

Marluxia shuddered and held his hand out stiffly. "Truce."

0000000000000000000

Avalon stomped on determinedly, Riku matching her stride while attempting to figure out what was going on.

"Avalon," he started, his light blue eyes boring into the girl. "You _are_ going to tell me what this is about, right?"

Avalon stomped on, ignoring Riku's question. She didn't feel like telling him what a confused idiot she was. How could she explain her actions if she didn't understand them herself?

Riku lengthened his stride and easily passed the girl, then turned to face her and stopped abruptly, holding out his arm to keep her from passing him. "Look, I want to help, but I can't do that if I don't know what's wrong."

"I don't need help," Avalon replied curtly, failing in her attempts to duck under Riku's arm and beginning to push her body against his in an endeavor at overpowering him (which made Riku blush, but he stood his ground). What could Riku do for her that she couldn't do herself? Pummel Axel? The girl realized with alarm that she didn't want that. She didn't want to see Axel hurt; as much as she wanted to slap him across the face, she could never bring herself to do it. #(I still love him…)# she realized with a gasp, losing her energy to fight past Riku. #(I'm still in love with the man who killed Zexion!)#

Riku was shocked when the girl went practically limp against him.

"What am I supposed to do?" Avalon moaned in a stressed, nearly broken voice with her face still against Riku's chest (yes, she's _that_ short). "It's too much. It's not right. I just… What _can_ I do?"

Riku was completely taken off guard. What was going on? And what could he say if he had no idea what was wrong? Still unsure of what he could do, he rubbed the small of the girl's back in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "Avalon, I really don't know what's going on, but you can't keep this all to yourself. If you won't tell me, at least find someone you will…" He gave in to the prompting of his instincts and put his arms around her in a sort of protective hug. "I promise," he said softly, "that I'll do anything I can. Just confide in _someone_. No one is supposed to be completely alone, and you have people who are here for you…" Riku stopped, embarrassed. He was of course referring to Mickey and himself. Riku wasn't fond of "mushy stuff," but he was in a position where it was obviously needed, so he took a deep breath and forced himself to continue. "Look, all I'm saying is that you have friends who want to help, so let them. You'll be surprised at how much better you feel."

The girl looked up at the silver-haired boy and smiled weakly through her tears. "I'm not quite ready to talk about it yet," she responded, "But if I tell anyone, it'll be you." She paused and whipped her eyes. She would force herself to forget Axel. "Thank you for caring."

"I… umm…" Riku blushed and let his arms drop to his sides. "No problem." He stepped out of Avalon's path. "Well, let's keep going."

And as the two teens resumed their stroll down the hall, Mickey darted around the corner, smiled, and exclaimed, "Aw gee, fellas! You waited on me!"

"Um. Yeah. That's it." Riku replied without turning around.

Avalon couldn't help but giggle at the awkward look on the boy's face (which only she could see).

The three continued down a straight, white (of course) door-lined hallway (at a slow pace so Mickey could keep up), checking doors as they went.

"Um…" Riku started slowly, staring at the room he'd decided to check. "Why are there burned flowers in this one? And why is this whole castle so _weird_?"

Avalon sprinted from the empty room she was checking and peered below Riku into the other room. Indeed, there were flowers of every shape and size in varying pots throughout the room, lining every shelf and flat surface other than the single white bed in the center. And, yes, the flowers were all either blackened, charred, or non-existent.

On the other side of the TV, Marluxia cursed at Axel and vowed revenge for his "darlings." The other members, even Larxene, slowly edged away from him.

"Must've been Marluxia's room," Avalon snickered, realizing that Axel had paid the room a visit lately and left the charred flowers in his wake. #(He must've been coming from here when we saw him…)# Avalon felt a pang of sadness when she remembered the way he'd walked right by her. #(Does he hate me that much now?)# She remembered only a few hours ago when they'd discussed what both of them were, and laughed together, and been so close even though they'd only known each other for that short time… She felt herself blush as images of her time in the room with Axel and Zexion flashed through her mind.

#(Zexion!)# Avalon gasped, making Riku glance down at her in concern. #(I'm doing it again!)# the girl thought angrily. #(Nothing can happen between Axel and me. Not anymore. It's better this way…)# And yet… she wanted to talk to him so badly… There was nothing to stop her from running back to his room and pounding on the door until he opened it and let her apologize for the way she'd treated him. #(But Zexion… I can't…)#

"Let's keep moving," Riku said, leading Avalon away from the room by the shoulders. "Those cloaks should be nearby according to what you said."

"Yup," Mickey said from beside them. "You told us they'd be in the room next to Marluxia's. And here's his room."

Mickey opened the next door, allowing Riku to herd the girl into it.

Neither of them knew how grateful she was for this distraction.

"Got it!" Riku exclaimed triumphantly, staring around the room with his hands still on Avalon's shoulders. The walls were practically covered with extra robes, and boots were lined according to size against the bottoms of the walls. "Now do you suppose they'll have one that'll fit Mickey here," he asked, grinning down at the King.

Avalon shrugged. "Maybe…" she mused, "They conform to the shape and size of the wearer?" They all looked at her cloak. "I mean, they fit all of us this tight, no matter what our build. That can't be natural."

"Us?" Riku asked suspiciously.

"Oops." Avalon put a hand over her mouth at the realization that she'd just grouped herself with the Organization members. "Umm… I didn't mean like 'us Organization members,' or anything like that. More along the lines of 'us people who are wearing these cloaks.' " She turned to face Riku and smiled. "Don't worry; I'm not an Organization member. And I won't let them hurt you either."

Riku's Caribbean blue eyes bored into her. "You're on good terms with some of them, aren't you?" She seemed to know a lot about them…

Avalon looked away. "Three of them protected me when I was captured, but… Two are dead, and one isn't talking to me." Her eyes teared up despite her efforts. "And it's all my fault."

Both boy and mouse stared at the Guardian, open-mouthed.

"They _protected_ you?" the King asked incredulously. "You're sure they didn't have other motives?"

Avalon nodded and wiped her eyes as they brimmed with tears. She _really_ hated crying in front of people, but a lot had happened in a short period of time.

Riku stared. "Umm… I wasn't the one who killed these 'good' Organization members, was I?" He hoped he wasn't. Even though he had trouble believing that a handful of the members meant well, the boy would still feel guilty if he'd killed someone Avalon cared about.

To Riku's relief, Avalon shook her head. "No, it wasn't you, though you _did_ met one of the ones who died, and the one who isn't talking to me."

Riku looked down in thought, his hands on his hips. #(Who from the Organization have I met… and not killed?)# he wondered to himself. "Zexion? And… that red-haired man?" he questioned, looking at Avalon uncertainly. He couldn't see her being friendly with Zexion" the man had been so cold and manipulative. At least the redhead seemed to have some sense of humor, and he hadn't tried to start a fight. But… Zexion?

Avalon at first made no response, instead walking around and examining boots and cloaks in an attempt to look casual. "I'll tell you everything later," she finally replied firmly while looking at the sole of a boot. "We'll have about a year until Sora wakes up and things start moving fast. I'll explain as soon as…" the girl trailed off and a bit too hard at the black boot she was "examining." When she spoke again, her voice was quieter. "As soon as I know how. I… still don't understand everything. After all," she ran a finger over the boot's silver lining, "Someone I love died about an hour ago."

Avalon attempted a laugh when she saw the shock and pity on Riku's face, just to let him know she was fine. Which she wasn't. "Anyway, my brain isn't working, so go easy on me."

Riku wanted to ask so much right then, but Mickey caught his eye and shook his head. The boy forced himself to withhold the inquiry. #(The King's right. Questioning her now would be… cruel.)# So, Riku sighed and bit his tongue, wondering what he could possibly say. #(At least she's explained the mood swings…)#

The awkward silence stretched on while both Riku and Mickey watched the girl stare at the boot in her hands, appearing to see more than the actual boot. Eventually, Avalon was the one who broke the silence, her voice even softer than before. "Let's get you two those uniforms and get out of here." She just wanted _out_. She needed to think about something else for a while, like the sky overhead and the road under her feet.

Riku and Mickey were quick to comply; glad they could do something, even if it was small. They shuffled around the room for a short while, and then grabbed the closest thing they could find to their size and slipped it over their clothes. As Avalon had predicted, they seemed to fit perfectly, despite the obvious problems that should have existed with Mickey's ears and height (or lack thereof). Even the boots fit just right. _Over_ their shoes!

"How do we look?" Riku asked tentatively, attempting to strike up a normal conversation and take Avalon's mind off her problems.

"Cute," the girl responded.

"You were talking about Mickey, right?" Riku asked as the black-clad companions walked back into the hallway and continued in the direction they'd been traveling before.

"I was referring to both of you."

"Hey!" the silver-haired boy exclaimed while blushing, "Guys don't like being called 'cute!' "

Avalon giggled. Was he a fighter or a freshman? (Actually, Riku would have been a sophomore-going-on-junior in high school. Avalon was a senior-going-on collage freshman.)

Mickey couldn't help but laugh along with Avalon at the offended look on his friend's face. "C'mon, Riku. Cute is a good thing."

"Bah," the boy responded testily, lengthening his stride and passing them.

Avalon glanced at Mickey and shrugged. The two of them walked on for a while in silence and studied their surroundings.

"Hey!" Riku yelled from somewhere down the hall. "I think I found something!"

The other two broke into a run to catch up, Avalon once again leaving the King in her dust.

"Speed," the King buttered to himself while watching Avalon's dimishing figure. "I need a spell for speed."

Farther down the hall and past a bend, Avalon skidded to a halt next to Riku. "What's up?"

"This wall…" Riku indicated the wall in front of him; the first one after the bend in the hall.

"What about it?"

"It's not a wall."

Avalon stared at Riku like he was crazy. "And so what is it? A ceiling?"

Riku smirked. "No…"

Before he could say any more, Mickey rounded the corner and, unable to stop in time, skidded right through the wall.

Both teens stared after him, Avalon with her mouth a bit open.

"See?" Riku asked, now looking back at Avalon and smirking smugly. "Not a wall."

The girl grinned. "Cool!" She stuck her arm through the wall that wasn't a wall, then withdrew it and stuck it through again, over and over. (She'd done the same thing with the fire illusion Zexion made on Destiny Islands).

Riku stared at the odd reaction for a while, then rolled his eyes and pushed the girl through the wall and into the entrance hall.

"Whoa!" Avalon exclaimed, staggering to a stop and looking around to get her bearings. (She recovers from her odd habits quickly.) "Alright, here's our exit." She motioned toward a set of double wooden doors at the end of the hall. "The only _not _white part of the castle."

"Ok," Riku (the unofficial leader) replied, walking toward the doors. "Let's get out of here."

Mickey was already there, having apparently reached the same conclusion. The mouse pulled with all his might. "They… won't… budge!" he panted and finally gave up. He slumped against the doors he'd tried so hard to move.

"Hmm…" Avalon tilted her head, considering the new obstacle. "Well… I'm not sure it'll work, but… Let's all try pulling."

Mickey gripped the door handle again, this time with Avalon's arms around his waist, and the arms of a slightly red Riku around her.

"Ok." Avalon seemed to be the head of this operation. "On three. One…"

Everyone stiffened.

"Two…"

Muscles tensed.

"Three!"

The companions grunted and pulled. Mickey (being much smaller than the other two) was lifted off the ground, flailing and yelling, "I don't think this is working!" There was a considerable amount of pain masked in his voice, a point Avalon picked up on quickly.

She released the King who let go of the door ring and fell to the floor. Riku, however, continued pulling and fell backward, taking Avalon (who he still had his arms around) with him.

"Hey!" she yelled as they fell.

The teens fell on their backs with a collective "Oof!"

"…Sorry," Riku said, rubbing the back of his head and glancing down at Avalon, who was on her back on top of him. "You alright?"

"Fine. You?"

"Same."

"Well," Avalon stood up and offered Riku a hand. "That didn't work."

The boy grabbed her hand and let her help him to his feet. "Really?" he asked sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed."

Avalon rolled her eyes at him in response, then began searching the walls for switches and buttons like you'd find in Final Fantasy games.

Mickey was busy searching the doors for a keyhole he could possibly use his Keyblade to open.

"Aaaaargh!" Avalon cried in frustration when she found nothing, making the other two jump in surprise. "What _is_ this? The Castle of no Return? I'm claustrophobic, darnit!" She stomped her foot in emphasis of her statement. Then her foot sank into the floor. "What the heck?" She used her other foot to jump to another part of the room, miraculously not losing her balance.

The doors swung open.

Avalon, Riku, and Mickey stared.

The girl voiced everyone's thoughts with one statement. "It… was… that… _easy_?" She gritted her teeth and muttered something about strangling the castle's architect. (You know that feeling where you're in a bad mood to begin with, then you search for something forever only to find it right under your nose? Yeah…)

Mickey laughed. "Look at it this way. At least we didn't have to _dig_ our way out."

Avalon ignored the comment and continued muttering as she stalked outside. "Can't just open like a _normal_ door. Nooo. Couldn't even open like a _not_ normal door. That'd be too _predictable_…"

Riku and Mickey glanced at each other, shrugged, then followed their friend into the night.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

KK. Please review! I'd like to hear from you! Like I said, questions, ideas, comments, suggestions... You know the drill.

Ta ta for now!


	13. Getting There

Sorry this one's a little short. But I figured it was better to something up, and I'll try to post later.

No, this is not the end of this series. There will be a considerable amount more chapters in this series to set up for the sequel. I'll tell you when it's sequel time. Still haven't decided what to call it, though. I'm thinking something unimaginative like "Guardian."

Thankyou for all the reviews! Like I said, I enjoy hearing from people! But I was sad to see only nine reviews for the last chapter... Are my chapters getting bad or something? Please review, I want to know what you think!

Plus, **I'm officially opening the pole lines.** I'm at a point in my writing (I write ahead for this story: it's all in a journal) where I need to start figuring out the final pairings. **And I can't decide on Avalon! So please make suggestions for who she should end up with in your reviews! I need help!**

Here's your choices: Axel, Zexion, Riku (yeah, Riku. It'd take me a while to figure out an ending for that one, but I could do it)

If no one votes, I might have to go for an indecisive ending. And those drive me nuts.

It'll be a VERY long while until I post the end, but I'm a lot farther along in my writing, so I need to start making stuff happen that'll lead to the final pairings. **SO PLEASE VOTE!**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Avalon.

LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

An hour after stumbling their way out of the castle, the three black-clad figures continued down the path leading away from Castle Oblivion. They hadn't stopped walking since they left the castle.

DiZ stood alone in the distance where the road split into three different paths, each leading in a different direction.

Riku, who was a bit ahead of the others thanks to his longer stride, came to a halt in front of the man. "What are you making me choose now?" he asked impatiently.

Avalon could feel DiZ's mild amusement at Riku's blunt reaction to his presence. The boy seemed to be growing on him.

DiZ indicated the road to his left. "Will you take the road to light? Or," he motioned toward the road to the far right, "Will you take the road to darkness?"

Mickey stared at Riku as the boy lowered his head in thought. The King had said he'd follow him, so he now awaited his leader's decision.

Avalon already knew what he'd answer.

"Neither," Riku replied while passing DiZ. "I'll take the middle road."

DiZ closed his eyes in sorrow. That was the same path he would have walked so many years ago with his apprentices. The decision to live that way was why things were as they now were. He and his apprentices had lost so much… "You mean the twilight road to nightfall?"

The silver-haired boy turned around to face the man. "No. The road to dawn."

DiZ couldn't help but smile at Riku's words. Perhaps… this boy was different? Perhaps Riku wouldn't end up like them. He regarded the boy thoughtfully, then said reluctantly, "The Organization sent one of its most elite members to investigate the castle. I convinced Namine to move Sora to a more secure location. Would you help me watch over them while his memories are being restored?"

Riku glanced at Avalon and Mickey, silently asking their opinions. Mickey shrugged, but Avalon nodded. "It's what you're supposed to do."

DiZ seemed to notice her for the first time. "You…" he said, staring at her thoughtfully. He turned his attention back to Riku, who was now visibly confused. "You had better take heed of her advice," he told the boy sternly. "That is the Guardian you are speaking to."

"The what?" Riku asked, completely lost. "That's what Ansem called her! What's going on?"

Mickey looked shocked.

DiZ glanced at the mouse and smiled (or at least his visible eye softened as though he was smiling). "Yes, I thought you would know what I meant."

Mickey stared at him curiously. #(Why does this man seem so familiar…?)#

DiZ focused his gaze back on Riku. "You have gained the ability to open portals of darkness like the Organization members you met in Castle Oblivion. It is a dark power, but it will grant you access to the worlds. I do not have the power to open one big enough for all of us, so you must open the way to Twilight Town and lead your friends there. You will know the way instinctively. Go to the old Mansion, and we shall discuss matters there." He glanced at Avalon. "You already know what is going on. What will you do?"

For some reason, Avalon felt at that moment that DiZ was kinder than he appeared. And she thought he seemed… lonely. "I'll help," she responded. "I won't have any serious duties for about a year, so I'm free to do whatever I want."

DiZ nodded appreciatively and disappeared into a relatively small dark portal.

Riku joined Mickey in staring at Avalon.

The girl groaned. "I told you, I'll explain later. _Later._ L, A, T, E, R. Laaaaaaaaaaaaaateeeeeer. Got it memorized _yet?_"

Back at Avalon's house, everyone snickered about how she stole Axel's line.

Riku gave Avalon a look that clearly said "I'll hound you until one of us dies if you don't tell me what's going on soon," then closed his eyes and attempted to open a dark portal like DiZ had instructed.

"Ummm…" Avalon said apprehensively to the concentrating boy. "I really don't prefer this mode of transportatIOOOOOOOOOOONNNN!" She did a flip in midair to avoid falling flat on her face, and landed gracefully on her feet. Rather than walking into a portal and appearing on the ground (if there was a ground) in the Dimension of Darkness, a portal had sort of exploded around them, leaving the trio floundering in the air. The girl felt Mickey and Riku on the ground beside her, recovering from their not-so-graceful landings.

"Are you guys alright?" she asked tentatively.

No response.

#(Remind me to stick with Organization members when it comes to this,)#, she thought to herself while brushing off her cloak. Then, she let out a cry and staggered a little as the darkness began its assault. "I hate this part!" she remarked to no one in particular.

A shiver of fear passed through Avalon's body. How long could she withstand this?

Almost immediately, she felt a pair of hands grab her waist and shoulder, and someone began to lead her quickly through the darkness. Something about the touch almost reminded her of… "Axel?"

She thought she heard a sharp intake of breath, but there was no response. Avalon wasn't sure if she wanted it to be him or not.

"Axel, is that you?"

Whoever it was pressed a finger to her lips, urging her to be quiet, then led her farther away from her friends.

Normally, Avalon would have pulled away and gone back to Riku and Mickey, but she wasn't sure how long she could last in this realm, and those two were out cold. So, she followed the lead of her mysterious captor, hoping he (it _had_ to be a he because of the height and firm grip) was friendly.

The only sounds for the next few minutes were the patter of their footsteps, Avalon's ragged breathing, and the man's slower, calmer breath.

Without warning, the man stopped and pulled the girl into what was unmistakably a hug.

"What…?" Avalon whispered, completely taken off guard.

The mysterious man held her tighter and rested his head above hers. There was a feeling there that seemed sad and final, like before Zexion had gone to confront Riku. It was almost as if…

"Are you… saying 'goodbye'?"

No reply.

Avalon listened to the chest she was being held against. "No heartbeat," she mused. "You're a Nobody…"

The mysterious man seemed to freeze up as Avalon felt his chest, searching for some form of identification. She could feel a firm, toned chest, and the silver chains of the Organization uniform. #(But… is it Axel, or… someone else?)# There was the slight hope; the unexpressed thought that somehow it might be Zexion. But Avalon wouldn't allow herself to even think it aloud because she knew that it was closer to denial than a legitimate theory. #(And… It can't be Axel. He hates me now…)#

She shook her head and tried to break away from the embrace. Her heart was burning from the darkness.

"Whoever you are," she whispered weakly, "I have to get out of here."

The figure gave a "Mmm," as if to say he knew. He gave her another squeeze, then turned her around so she was facing away from him. A portal to the normal world opened and she dove through it, sighing in relief as the pressure in her chest subsided.

Avalon turned back around to thank her unknown ally, but found only the dimly lit streets of Twilight Town at night.

00000000000000000000000000000000

Back in Avalon's house, things were… interesting.

Because of their dark backgrounds, the Organization members were able to see everything that happened in the dark realm. There was a moment of stunned silence. Until…

"Woooah! _Someone_ has competition!" Marluxia jeered, turning to face the brooding Zexion.

Larxene sighed and smacked the girly-haired Nobody across the back of the head.

Zexion smirked in evil satisfaction. Just what he'd wanted to do.

"We _already_ knew that, remember?" she hissed irritably, then whacked him again. "Dunce!"

"Oow…" Marluxia rubbed the back of his head, eyeing Larxene as if she'd betrayed him.

Vexen stood and walked forward to stand in front of Larxene, offering his hand. His face was stoic, and he appeared to be going against his better judgment. "I am only going to sat this once, Larxene, so listen well."

"Mrow?" Larxene leaned forward, listening intently.

Vexen sighed, then stared at the ground and muttered in one quick breath, "You are not the imbecile I took you for. You are now my hero. Please do me the honor of shaking my hand."

Lexaeus and Zexion stared in amazement while Larxene grinned widely and shook Vexen's hand.

Lexaeus locked eyes with Zexion and said, "That's it. The world is ending."

Zexion nodded in agreement.

Marluxia sat rubbing his head, seemingly undisturbed by the event. "Why," he asked finally, "Was Axel there? Didn't he decide to leave her alone?"

Larxene stared at the TV worriedly. Things were more serious than she thought. "I guess… he just wanted to say 'goodbye.' Even if she didn't know it was him. Even if she didn't understand. He just had to say it."

Vexen snorted and waved a hand dismissively. "You give Axel too much credit. I don't think it was as deep as that. You know he goes on walks in the darkness when he needs to think. He probably just found her in danger and decided to lend a hand."

Zexion shook his head. "No, Larxene's right." As much as he hated admitting it, there was no denying that Axel was in love with Avalon. He'd looked so sad, so much like he wanted that last moment to last forever…

"But how can he be in love?" Marluxia asked curiously. "I thought Nobodies couldn't feel?"

Vexen scratched his chin. "Perhaps they share such a bond that he is using her heart to feel?"

"No. That's not it."

Everyone turned to face Zexion, surprised by his firm refutation.

"Then what do you think it is?" Lexaeus questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not sure," Zexion replied. "But that isn't it. I believe we all have some ability to feel, however faint or uncommon."

"Hmmm…" Everyone searched their memories for some time when they might have felt something. And everyone found at least one case.

"So… Xemnas was wrong?" Marluxia asked happily. He always liked disproving the Superior's theories.

"Bite your tongue," Vexen snapped sharply. "We do not know anything for sure yet."

Larxene turned her attention back to the TV. "Well, if we can feel… I feel sorry for Axel. It's the hardest thing someone can do… Letting go of the one they love so that person can live a better life."

"I don't know," Marluxia mused softly. "Having to let go of someone you love… and knowing they're going to die, just for the indirect purpose of fate…" He shook his head. "That has to be harder."

There was a pause while everyone thought about it.

"Maybe," Vexen said in what was known as his "scientist voice", "That's why the Guardian must have such a strong heart. The situations she must deal with…"

"Because it's not the lack of emotion that makes a heart strong," Zexion finished. "But the amount of emotion it can withstand without breaking."

Secretly, the Organization members were beginning to respect Avalon.

LIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Like I said, PLEASE REVIEW! And PLEASE VOTE! I'll be keeping count on my profile!

Plus comments, questions, and such. I wanna hear from you!

As usual, I'll update ASAP.


	14. Afraid of the Dark?

Thank you for the reviews and votes! I've already gotten a lot of feedback (some of it through private message and school, just in case you're counting). And I was really happy that people think Avalon and Zexion are cute!

But I'm gonna say this because I feel bad for the non-winners. If anyone out there wants Axel or Riku to end up with Avalon in the end, you'd better speak up soon, because Zexion is WHIPING THE FLOOR with both of them. (See the top of my profile for updated scores.) I'm writing new stuff now, and trying to edit some of what I have. But, Zexion people, keep this in mind: just because it looks like she's gonna END UP with Zexion doesn't mean everything will be about her and Zexion. She's gonna see Axel and Riku a lot more than him.

And in case you're wondering why this update took so long, I had five projects this week. FIVE! Plus regular homework, a friend's birthday party, two clubs, marching band practice, a flute lesson, and two marching band performances (one of them being at a football game). Not counting Saturday and Sunday, I got eight hours of sleep IN TOTAL.

Thus, I thank you for your patience. Ok, I won't ramble any longer (sorry about the rant)...

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Doctor Phil.

LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

It was dark outside. Avalon had been walking the streets of Twilight Town for at least an hour, running into absolutely no one. And frankly, she was getting fed up.

"Aaaaargh!" she yelled, clenching her fists and turning her face to the sky. "Hey, fate! How come you can't ever send me _useful_ visions! Like a roadmap!"

No answer. Not that she expected one. Avalon continued to stare at the starry sky, noting how clear of a night it was. #(Just like on Destiny Islands…)# An unbidden tear found its way down her face, but she wiped it away hastily. She could mourn later.

"Is everything alright?" A young man about Avalon's age (maybe a little older) peered out the door of a nearby house. He had blonde hair and sported a scar that crossed his face diagonally. His messy hair and slightly red eyes suggested that he'd just woken up. "I heard someone yelling…"

"Seifer?" Avalon asked curiously. Something about him reminded her of the character from Final Fantasy VIII. She wasn't quite sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

The man grinned and opened the door wider, revealing the fact that he was wearing what appeared to be street clothes (aka: black baggy pants and a tight black belly shirt). A white, sleeveless trench coat and a black hat hung next to the door. "So you've heard of me," he said proudly. "Not that I'm surprised, of course." Seifer's grin widened and he leaned against the doorframe casually, crossing his arms. "You can't be in Twilight Town very long and not know about the head of the Disciplinary Committee."

Avalon resisted the strong urge to laugh at his cockiness. He was Seifer, all right. "Right," she responded, flashing a friendly smile and carefully keeping the amusement out of her voice. "Nice to meet you." She looked him in the eye and held out her hand. "I'm Avalon."

Seifer shook her hand firmly. "Seifer. But you already knew that." He re-crossed his arms and looked the girl over. "You're new here, huh?"

"Yup."

"Are you lost?"

"Yup."

The man once again looked her over. "Do you have somewhere to go?" he asked seriously. "Every town has its crime. Even here, the streets can be dangerous at this time of night. Especially for someone with your… erm… build." His eyes were resting on a place suspiciously below Avalon's face.

The girl got rather angry at this. "First of all," she said, annoyance plain in her voice, "My eyes are _here_." She pointed at her eyes.

Seifer jumped as he realized where he'd been staring.

"Secondly, just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm helpless."

"That's not what I meant," Seifer retorted, holding his hands up defensively. "I just meant you'll attract more… unwanted attention than most girls, and you should be careful."

Avalon regarded him fiercely, and then forced herself to relax. It didn't seem like Seifer had meant to stare, and she might have jumped to conclusions… Besides, she needed help. "Alright," she said a bit reluctantly. "Do you know where the old mansion is?"

Seifer jumped yet again. "You're staying _there_?" he asked in disbelief. "That's no place for… Don't you have anywhere else?"

Avalon shook her head, clearly unfazed by whatever was troubling him. "Nope."

"But… How long have you been living there?"

"Just got here."

Seifer calmed down a little. "Oh, all right." He shook his head seriously. "That place isn't safe. Nobody's lived there for years." He ran a hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable. "Look, if you have nowhere else to go, I might be able to… make some space for you until you can afford your own place…"

Avalon blinked. #(Seifer's offering to let me _live _with him?)# That was unusually sweet of him. The girl felt herself blush and hoped it wasn't visible in the dim streetlights. "Umm… thanks, but… I'll be fine." She smiled reassuringly.

Seifer stared at her, then shook his head again. "You can't stay there," he told her sternly. "It's private property. Even though we're not sure who owns it, no one's supposed to go in." He leaned a bit closer to Avalon, keeping his eyes trained carefully on her face. "Now, I do make exceptions and let some people visit," he whispered as though it was a secret (which it supposedly was). "But I can't let someone _live _there. Do you get it?"

Avalon nodded. She supposed it made sense, but how were Riku, DiZ, and Namine going to be able to live there? #(I guess,)# she thought, smacking herself mentally, #(Because they didn't alert anyone else to their presence. Duh.)# She studied Seifer closely, wondering if she could trust him. "Look," she whispered cautiously. "What if… I promised you no one would know I was there?"

Seifer leaned back against the doorframe and seemed to think it over. Eventually, he shook his head. "Townspeople would notice an extra person with no apparent home. And you'd have to have some sort of contact with them to be able to eat. Eventually, someone would get curious…"

Avalon tilted her head in thought. She hadn't thought about how Riku and DiZ would get their food (Namine, being a Nobody, didn't need any). She half smiled and half groaned at the realization that she was supposed to be their provider. "You… have a point there…" she admitted grudgingly.

"I know," Seifer replied in a very Vexen-like cocky voice. The man considered her intently. "So do you need a place to stay? You know, until you get on your feet?"

"… Maybe…" Avalon wasn't too happy about the idea of living alone with a random man, even if she did recognize him.

Seifer smiled knowledgably. "I have two bedrooms in here, you know. I'm only using the second one as a library, but it still has its locks."

"Locks?"

"Locks. From the inside."

Avalon relaxed. A little. "So, what sort of library are we talking, here?" she asked brightly.

The head of the disciplinary committee smiled and stood aside, motioning politely for Avalon to come inside.

Avalon took a deep breath and walked through the door.

000000000000000000000000000000

"So…" Larxene said, smiling in delight. "Avalon now has Zexion, Axel, Riku, and Seifer. Did I miss anyone?"

Zexion took a deep breath and reluctantly admitted, "Possibly Demyx."

Larxene giggled while Marluxia and Lexaeus looked confused. "Right you are, Zexion," she said gleefully. "Forgot him."

"And… when did this happen?" Marluxia asked, eyeing Larxene, Vexen, and Zexion curiously.

"Um… Not long after Larxene died…" Zexion wasn't eager to tell everyone about their little… outing.

"You see," Vexen explained in his usual cold drawl, smirking unpleasantly. "Our little, rule-abiding Zexion abandoned his post upon the request of his soon-to-be girlfriend and took her to Destiny Islands, where they met Demyx."

Lexaeus and Marluxia stared in disbelief at the blushing Zexion. Marluxia had always thought of him as the quiet emo one with a stick up his butt (as did most of the newer members), and Lexaeus had known him to be pretty much the same as a human.

Even when the founders were alive as Ansem the Wise's apprentices, Zexion had always been the most rigid of the group. He was always cold and standoffish, always down-to-business and no-nonsense, always had his nose in a book, possibly trying to make up for his young age. Which he certainly had, because the other apprentices were always slightly apprehensive about approaching him. That was why he'd been the last founder to join the Organization. That and the fact that he'd initially opposed the other apprentices when they decided to go against their master's orders and continue conducting their experiments on the darkness of hearts. The bottom line was, Zexion going against a direct order was almost unimaginable.

"You really liked her, didn't you?" Lexaeus asked. "To go against orders like that…"

"I love her," Zexion responded softly.

Marluxia and Lexaeus (who hadn't died in time to witness Zexion's confession to Avalon) jumped and stared at him. They'd heard the story from Vexen and Larxene, but somehow, hearing something like that from the most rigid Organization member was… unsettling.

The Silent Hero regarded his cohort inquisitively, as though searching for signs of some physical condition. "What do you feel when you think about her?" he asked curiously. Somehow, he didn't think it was _love_ the younger Nobody felt. After all, they had no hearts.

Zexion stared determinedly at the floor, his dark eyes thoughtful. "I… don't know," he said honestly. "It's so much at once, I can't sort it out… I feel… warm. I feel like I want to be with her forever… When I'm with her, I feel like every bad thing I've done builds a barrier between us, but she walks right through it… I feel like I'm being simultaneously healed and wounded. I don't understand what I feel, but in the end…" he smiled at the floor faintly. "I believe I would do anything for her."

The other people in the room stared in awe. Did _Zexion_ just say that? In public?

Zexion had the same thought. He looked up in horror as though breaking out of some trance. "I… um… I mean… I did _not_ say that out loud, did I?" He looked pleadingly at Marluxia, who stared back with his jaw slightly dropped, too stunned to laugh. The flustered Zexion blushed deeply and swore under his breath.

Larxene recovered a little and glanced at Lexaeus. "Your diagnosis, Doctor Phil?" she asked sarcastically.

The man shook his head in disbelief. "He's in love. Head over heels."

Larxene nodded with uncharacteristic seriousness. "I agree."

She and Lexaeus stared at Zexion intently, while the man continued to mentally beat himself up and wonder if his powers could be used for invisibility.

000000000000000000000000

"Are you hungry?" Seifer asked in exasperation after Avalon's stomach let out a particularly loud growl in the middle of her tour of the house. (She hasn't eaten in a day or more, after all.)

"… Maybe?" she responded, tilting her head innocently.

The girl's stomach growled again, making both of them look at each other and burst into laughter. It was like having a third person in the conversation.

"Alright, alright," he conceded, waving a hand. "We'll eat, then we'll finish the tour."

"Cool." Avalon grinned, then followed him down a hall. "Um, is anything open? I mean I'm already bumming a room off of you. I have enough munny to buy food. I don't wanna steal yours…"

Seifer stopped and turned toward her, a stern look on his face. "As head of the Disciplinary Committee, there is no way I would allow any store to be open this late at night. That's just asking for trouble. Besides, they wouldn't get much business…"

Avalon covered her mouth and yawned as though to punctuate the comment on how late it was. "What time _is_ it, anyway?" she asked, stretching her arms toward the sky sleepily.

"Around one in the morning."

Avalon's froze with wide eyes in mid-stretch. "Oops." It had been at least an hour and a half since she'd gotten separated from Riku and Mickey. "Umm… I really have to get to the Mansion… Even if it's just for a few minutes…"

Seifer studied her worried countenance. "Is this something I wouldn't be happy about?" he asked suspiciously.

Avalon looked away. She knew it was, but she _hated _lying. And she _had_ to get there. Riku might be worried, or they might get separated.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'…" Seifer stared at Avalon's torn expression, then sighed and walked to the door. "Let's go," he said in resignation, putting on his hat and sleeveless coat.

"Huh?" The girl looked up hopefully.

"I said, let's go. You need a guide, right?"

Avalon stared at the determinedly indifferent-looking man, then smiled. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah." Seifer grinned and waved a dismissive hand. "You owe me one. Now come on."

He opened the front door and herded Avalon back onto the dim streets of Twilight Town, but with company this time.

000000000000000000000000

"How old _are _you, anyway?"

"Huh?"

Seifer shot a curious glance at Avalon as they walked through what he called the "Tram Common." "I mean you don't look that old. Why were you wandering the streets in the middle of the night?"

Avalon shrugged. "Talent?"

Seifer looked as though he was trying to not laugh. "Yeah, but seriously. How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

The man jumped accidentally. "You're a minor? Seriously?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I thought you were at least my age…"

"Well, what are you?" Avalon teased. "You act like you're an old man or something."

Seifer sighed and looked to the sky. "Yeah, I get that a lot… I'm eighteen. Almost nineteen, actually. People never get that right. Always think I'm either older or younger." He shook his head. "I still haven't figured out why."

#(I do.)# Avalon suppressed a grin, then noticed a large crack in the town wall. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at the ominously dark imperfection.

"That… is where we're going."

"Fun." Avalon shivered a little bit, despite the warm summer weather. She was never fond of dark places. That was part of the reason she hated the realm of darkness so much.

"Yup, isn't it?" Seifer asked in a mock-bright tone.

They walked across the Tram Common in silence, then looked at each other and passed through the crack, emerging in a heavily wooded area. All Avalon could make out was shadow.

"D--mit!" Seifer commented, stopping suddenly and searching his coat. "Forgot a flashlight."

"Great. Just great." Avalon shivered again and moved a little closer to her companion. "Let's just get this over with…"

"What's the matter?" Seifer taunted, looking over his shoulder at her shadowed figure and then walking onward as per request. "Is 'I can take care of myself' girl afraid of the dark?"

"Shut up!" Avalon snapped. She yelped as something else snapped nearby.

"Hey…" Seifer started with a now serious tone and a glance over his shoulder. "You actually are, aren't you?"

"Not so much the dark itself," the girl replied thoughtfully, following very close behind. "More like the things that it can mask, or the effects it can have…"

"Hmm… Makes sense, actually."

"Really?" Avalon jumped as she ran into a branch that Seifer had somehow avoided. Thankfully, he didn't notice. "Most people laugh at me when I try to explain."

"No, I get it." The man swore loudly at a thorn bush he'd neglected to notice. "Look out for thorns," he advised darkly at exactly the same moment Avalon ran into the same bush.

"Yeowch! Gee, thanks."

Seifer chuckled.

A few thorn bushes, tree branches, and roots later, a very annoyed Seifer and Avalon emerged in a clearing. There was an iron gate between the two teens and an old-looking mansion.

Avalon walked up to the gate and shook it. "Locked…"

Seifer looked up at it thoughtfully. "That's odd…"

This earned a sigh from Avalon. Nothing was ever easy. "Can you give me a boost?" she asked the man, who stared back at her.

"Are you sure you want to go in there alone? It'll be really dark with no flashlight…"

Avalon shrugged. "I have no choice. Besides, I can take care of myself." She grinned at the reluctant look on his face. "What's the matter? Afraid of staying out here alone?"

"Of course not!" Without warning, Seifer picked her up by the waist.

"Woah! Hey!"

"You asked me to give you a boost."

"Yeah, but you could've let me get ready first!" Avalon was blushing and thinking about the fact that she had nothing but her underwear and bra on under the cloak. "Do me a favor?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't look up." With that, Avalon grabbed the topmost vertical bar of the gate. "Ok, now throw me upward. And don't look up."

"Why?"

"Don't ask! Just do it!" she replied testily. (Accidental Axel quote… I swear it was an accident.)

"Whatever." With a heave, Seifer threw Avalon upward, giving her enough force to swing her lower body over the bar and land on top of it in a crouching position. Think gymnastics moves, here.

#(Wow, it worked…)# Avalon mentally patted herself on the back for paying attention in Physics class. #(Now to get down… No way but jumping…)# She closed her eyes and jumped, then did a summersault in the air and landed on her feet on the other side of the gate. #(How the heck did _that_ work?)# Avalon wondered. She shrugged to herself #(I'm in a game. Maybe I have extra abilities…?)# She decided to leave the philosophizing for later. "I'm in!" she called through the gate.

"Can I look _yet_?" Seifer asked impatiently.

"Yup."

"Goodie."

Avalon rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "I might be a while," she told Seifer while looking at him through the iron bars. "I'll understand if you don't wait."

"And how would you find your way back to my house?" he asked, folding his arms and staring the girl in the eye. "You'd end up wandering the streets all night! I'll be right here."

Normally, Avalon would have made some witty retort, but somehow she knew this was his way of trying to encourage her. Instead she smiled and replied, "Yeah, whatever."

With that, she walked toward the front doors of the Old Mansion, feeling a lot better now that she had a friend waiting for her outside and another presumably somewhere inside.

LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Please forgive me if Zexion was a little out of character in this one. My friend said it was fine, but it's bugging me for some reason.

Anyway, please review and vote. I still really wanna hear reviews! Thoughts, comments, questions, answers... But no flames please.


	15. Not so Alone

Ok, sorry for not updating last night. Here it is, though.

CHAIN OF MEMORIES IS BEING REMADE FOR THE PS2! THAT MEANS GOOD GRAPHICS AND VOICE ACTORS! FINALLY! m3thod-mak3r was trying to calm me down when I found out during school. I was so excited, I even scared HER. Which takes a lot.

And lemme just say, the weather this week was SCARY! Our band teacher tried to make us march while there were tornado watches out! It was dark, and raining, and SCARY!

Anyway...

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Spamalot.

* * *

Avalon timidly stepped through the front doors and into the dark old mansion, closing the door behind her so Seifer wouldn't see or hear anything. After all, if he discovered that there were people living there, he'd probably try to evict them. And that wouldn't be good for anyone. The problem with this action was that _she_ couldn't see anything now. That is, nothing but shadows against the distant moonlight streaming through a large window in the back of the entrance room. 

Avalon shivered, fighting off the familiar feeling of the darkness closing in on her.

#(This should be nothing compared to the realm of darkness!)# she scolded herself.

#(But…)# the annoying voice in the back of her head responded, #(I wasn't _alone_ then…)#

"Riku?" she squeaked in what was supposed to be a yell. She shook her head at herself. #(Snap out of it! There's nothing to be afraid of! Seifer's out front waiting on me, and he'll notice if I don't come out for a while… And Riku has to be somewhere in here…)#

Somehow reassured, Avalon felt her way forward, whistling "Always Look on the Bright Side" from Spamalot. She stopped halfway up a staircase.

#(What was that?)# She thought she'd heard something jingle somewhere nearby. Like chains… She desperately wanted to summon her weapons, but knew the glow of her mark would give her position away if anything _was_ there. #(Crap…)#

The girl stood stock still, looking around the darkness and listening intently for another sound.

#(There!)#

There was a dark, hooded figure at the top of the stairs, standing nearly as still as her. Avalon took a deep, shaky breath then called "Riku?"

"Avalon?"

Avalon now gave an audible sigh of relief. It was Riku's voice. The entire mansion seemed much friendlier now. "Yup, it's me," she responded, hoping the relief wasn't evident in her voice.

Riku lowered his hood (not that it did much good in this lighting, but he didn't like it much) and walked down the stairs to meet her. "Where _were_ you?" he asked in a plainly annoyed voice that made Avalon flinch. It was a good thing she had her extra sense, because it was only the relief she felt from him that kept her from freaking out. "I thought we'd left you behind or something! We looked all over for you!"

"Sorry," Avalon replied, hanging her head guiltily. "But…" She explained the physical pain the realm of darkness caused her and the way the mysterious man led her away and opened a portal for her.

There was a silence. Avalon felt Riku's annoyance fade and curiosity replace it. She was quite thankful for that extra sense, even if it wasn't always present.

"A man in an Organization cloak?" ha asked thoughtfully. "And he _hugged _you? More than once?"

"Yeah…" Avalon responded half-heartedly. She was busy contemplating an odd feeling she was sensing from Riku. #(Is that… _jealousy_?)# She shook her head dismissively. #(Naah. Can't be.)#

"Hmph. Any idea who it was?"

Avalon clutched the railing and rocked back and forth. "He had no heartbeat, so he was definitely a Nobody…"

"You were close enough to notice this?"

"He was _hugging_ me, Riku."

"Oh, yeah." Riku thought it over a bit. "How do you know Nobodies have no heartbeat?"

"Erm… Talent?" Avalon didn't exactly feel like telling Riku about listening to Axel's chest.

"Avalon." Suspicion was plain in the boy's voice.

"Why are you interrogating me like this, anyway?" Avalon snapped impatiently. "You're not my parent!"

"No." Riku sounded… sad. "But I _think_ I'm your friend. I want to help you. I want you to let me protect you."

This stunned Avalon so much that she couldn't help but hug him.

"Huh?" the boy asked in surprise.

"I'm sorry," she said sadly, resting her head on her friend's shoulder. "I just… _can't_ talk about everything yet. Please wait a few days… It's only been a few hours… And so much happened…"

Riku hugged the girl back, silently thanking the darkness for hiding his deep blush. "Alright," he said quietly. "I'm just… I'm worried about you."

Avalon smiled. "You don't have to. I'll be fine, because I have such good friends."

Riku felt his blush defy all laws and deepen.

"Anyway," Avalon broke out of the hug, too preoccupied with her thoughts to realize that Riku kept an arm around her waist while they both leaned against the banister. "I think… I'm not sure, but… It felt like Axel."

"It 'felt like' him?"

"Yup. Close to the same height, I think he was really thin like him – Axel's thin, but all muscle like a cat - , and… something about the touch."

Riku fought back another wave of jealousy. She knew him that well? "Is this that red-haired Organization member?" he asked irritably.

"Yeah."

"Was there… something between you two or something? I mean, the way you talk about him…" He felt Avalon flinch.

"… I… don't know," she replied softly.

Riku held her tighter by accident.

"It can't have been him. The way I treated him after…" She shook her head. Riku heard the disappointment and sadness she'd tried so hard to keep out of her voice. "He has no reason to help me. I wouldn't blame him if he hated me now."

"What happened?" Riku asked curiously.

"Nothing that wasn't supposed to," the girl replied in a cold tone.

"Huh?"

Don't worry about it. Just…" Avalon now realized that Riku had her arm around her waist and turned toward the staircase, blushing. "Please don't try to protect me," she finished softly.

"Why not?"

A faint smile played across Avalon's mouth. #(How many ways can I accidentally lead him to the same subject in one day?)# she wondered, half-amused, half-irritated. "Because… You can't. I am nothing but a tool of fate. A pawn. And there's nothing I or anyone else can do about it."

Riku couldn't see Avalon's face because of the darkness, but she sounded like she felt alone… and lost. His eyes widened as a realization hit him. "Avalon… I don't quite get what you're talking about, but you feel… tainted, right?"

Avalon turned toward Riku, realizing for the first time that he was probably one of the only ones who could understand her.

"You tried to protect them, didn't you? The person you loved and the Organization members who died? But you ended up causing their problems because of what you are, right?"

"Yes…"

"So did I. Because of me, Sora and Kiari almost…" he broke off.

Avalon could sense his guilt. Guilt that exactly matched her own. "You… feel the same way I do. You feel like you could have, _should _have done something different. Like it's your fault because of what you are. Like you… shouldn't be around anyone… because you might hurt them."

Riku nodded, his shadowed face downcast as though ashamed. "Yes," he admitted softly. "That is how I feel. That's why I can't face them. Not yet. But…" He pulled Avalon toward him so he could hug her. It ended being a hug from behind, but it was still a hug. "If you can accept what you are… You'll feel a little less like that. You'll feel like… maybe you _can _do something."

Avalon couldn't believe that someone else knew how she felt without even knowing her situation. She let out a happy "Hm," and closed her eyes, then found herself leaning her head against him. Somehow, being with him felt _right_, as it had with Zexion and Axel. That feeling had been there for a while, but now it seemed stronger.

The two didn't say anything for a while, simply enjoying the warmth that came with both the embrace and finding out that they weren't quite as alone as they thought.

Eventually, Avalon remembered that Seifer was waiting for her outside. She sighed and reluctantly opened her eyes, then broke out of Riku's arms.

"Where are you going?" the boy asked in an uncharacteristically disappointed voice.

Avalon smiled slightly. "You and DiZ are going to need food," she explained. "And the townspeople will notice random robed figures popping into town and buying stuff, particularly you with your face covered and DiZ with those bandages. And I doubt DiZ will trust Namine to do it. So I guess I'm the provider by process of elimination."

"You could still live here."

The girl shook her head in response. "Eventually someone would notice, and this building is supposedly off limits to the public. So…"

Riku could just make out her shadowy figure give a slight wave, then turn to leave. He made a move to stop her.

"Don't worry," Avalon said warmly, turning back to face him. "I'll be back tomorrow." She saw Riku pause, considering, then nod slightly. She felt her way part of the way down the stairs, then remembered something and turned back around. "Oh, and if you can do something about those gates in the front…"

Amusement was plain in Riku's voice as he responded. "I'll talk to DiZ about it."

"Great!" the girl exclaimed, happily giving her friend a thumbs up (not that is was very visible…) "G'night!"

"… 'Night." Riku watched Avalon's progress outside from his place on the top of the staircase, feeling as though a piece of the light in him was going with her.

0000000000000000000000

#(What. Was. THAT?)# Avalon thought furiously as she closed the doors behind her, now standing in the starlit courtyard and trying to calm her pounding heart. #(I have _not_ fallen in love with three guys in the same day! No _way_!)# She climbed to the top of an old-looking stone pillar and jumped onto a thick hedge that lined the mansion wall, following it toward the front gate.

#(Well…)# the annoying voice of reason (otherwise known as the voice in the back of her head) argued, #(It wasn't _really _in the same day.)# After all, she'd had crushes on all three before she even met them. And those had developed over a long period of time. #(So, I could very well have fallen for all three…)#

The girl waved a hand by her ear violently, as though trying to swat the thought away. She didn't want to believe she was in love with three people at the same time, particularly when they all managed to be on different sides.

The hedge finally ended at the gate, the top of which was just above Avalon's waist. That was a high hedge. She effortlessly jumped over the gate and made a perfect landing behind Seifer.

"You're back," Seifer remarked from his resting place on the ground, after jumping at the sound of Avalon's cloak and turning to find her standing behind him.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Avalon responded sarcastically while smoothing her cloak to make sure everything was covered.

Seifer smirked and stood up. "Come now, is that any way to talk to your new guardian?"

"Huh?" Avalon stopped messing with her cloak and stared at him. "I thought you were my landlord!"

The man rubbed his chin. "Well, in practice, sort of. But legally, you're not allowed to live alone yet 'cause you're a minor, so…" He smirked. "That'd make me your guardian. Unless you'd like to go to an orphanage."

Avalon shuddered at the thought.

"When do you turn eighteen?" he asked as they began trudging back through the forest.

"The beginning of August." Avalon grabbed Seifer's arm to keep him from running into something shadowy that she assumed was a tree trunk. Thinking and romping through dark forests don't mix.

"Thanks." The man sounded slightly embarrassed. "Um… let's not mention this to anyone."

Avalon laughed in response. "Sure. After all, you didn't actually run _into_-"

"_Anyway_," Seifer interrupted, starting to move again. "That means you can't live on your own until the beginning of next August."

"Joy," the girl commented with no real conviction. "Can't I just lie about my age? You thought I was older."

"What? Is the idea of living with me that bad?"

Avalon could tell that he was half-kidding and half-serious. "It's not _you_. It's the idea of living alone with a guy…" Not watching where she was going, Avalon tripped over a tree root and slammed into Seifer's back, grabbing him around the middle to keep herself from falling over.

"Ow!" Seifer staggered to a halt and let the girl regain her balance using him as a brace. "Well, for someone who doesn't want to live alone with a man, you can't seem to stay away from me," he teased. "C'mon, you _know_ you want me."

Avalon promptly kicked him in the shin.

"Eyowch!" The man rubbed the soon-to-be-bruised appendage. "Alright, I get it! No more cracks!"

"Good," she replied dryly. "We should continue getting along just fine, then."

"You don't put up with much, do you?"

"Depends."

"On what?" Seifer asked as they started walking again.

"Umm…" Avalon blushed at the memories of Riku's and Axel's not-necessarily invited hugs. And the man in the realm of darkness… #(Who the heck was he?)# She was so caught up in her thoughts that she forgot to respond.

Thankfully for her, Seifer forgot too, thanks to a strategically placed tree branch.

"Holy frikin' s—t! The whole d—n forest's out to get us!" The man proceeded to utter a long string of curse words at the woods while checking for blood.

Avalon sighed and passed him, then grabbed his arm and led him through the forest, at a slower but much less painful pace.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Seifer asked in concern while being dragged along by Avalon.

"Not a clue," the girl replied cheerfully, pausing for effect. She grinned as she felt the muscles in Seifer's arm tense in horror. "Nah, just kidding. I'm pretty sure I do."

Seifer had to really fight himself to keep from whacking the girl upside the head. "Ha, ha. Very funny."

"Yup, it was." Avalon gave him a small salute from over her shoulder. "Consider it revenge."

"But wasn't the kick enough?" the man whined.

"Nope." Avalon shrugged. "What can I say? I'm in an interesting mood."

"Ah," Seifer responded knowledgably. "PMS?"

"No! Shut up!"

"Come now, what did I tell you about speaking that way about your guardian?"

"My guardian, not my parent!"

"Keep speaking to me that way, and I'll make you do my dishes."

"You wouldn't!"

"No, I wouldn't," he conceded. "'Cause there aren't any. I've been using paper."

"Gee, thanks," Avalon responded sarcastically. "You know just what to say to a girl."

"Yup. You _know_ you want m- Wait! Kidding!" Seifer held his free arm up to block a kick that didn't come since he didn't complete the sentence.

The two finally reached the crack in the wall and strode through it, emerging in the yellowish-lit streets of the town.

"You know," Avalon said thoughtfully, turning back toward the crack. "Now that we've been there… It seems a lot… friendlier."

"Speak for yourself," her companion grumbled, examining the bruises and scratches all over his arms and legs.

Avalon noticed the same thing. "Sorry," she said guiltily. "I _really _had to get there tonight, and.-"

Seifer cut her off. "It's no problem. Seriously, I don't mind."

#(But… you do mind,)# Avalon thought, miserably watching him examine a rather nasty bruise on his forearm. #(So why are you being so nice?)#

Seifer looked up, still holding his arm, and found her staring at him. "What's that look for?" he asked, letting his arm drop.

"Umm… nothing."

"Oookey…"

Avalon's stomach growled and she looked down at it in surprise. "Huh," she remarked, rubbing the back of her head. "Forgot I was hungry."

Seifer raised an eyebrow in amusement. "How exactly does someone _forget _they're hungry?"

"Talent?"

The man smiled. "Yeah, talent. Now let's get you something to eat."

And so the two friends/housemates walked lazily down the streets of the Tram Common, bantering (in a friendly sort of way) the entire time.

* * *

I kinda feel like I should've held off the votes until after this chapter, but oh well. If anyone does wanna change their vote, they can. If not, that's good too. 

Zexion's winning.

Anyway, please review! Comments, questions, suggestions, votes... U know. I'd enjoy hearing from people! And I could always use a good suggestion. Just don't do what my brother would and say "make it suck less."


	16. Meanwhile

Ok, I can't help it. I'm gonna say it. I HATE COLLEGE APPLICATIONS!!!!!! THEY'RE EEEEVIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLL!!!!!

Now that that's off my chest...

Thankyou for the reviews. I got a few suggestions that I'll try to use, as well as some late votes. Which Axel and Demyx appreciate, by the way.

If you're wondering how I got time to update at 2:21 on a Tuesday night, I have wonderful news. Tomorrow is unofficial Senior Skip day. Well, technically today. You know what I mean. That means TIME TO SLEEP IN AND FINISH MY FREAKING COLLEGE APPS so I can update my stories more regularly afterwards! A lot of deadlines for college are this month, so it's crunch time. So I'm sorry if my updates are a little staggered: I'm slightly more worried about getting into college than updating frequently. I'll try, though. That plus the fact that I'm doing most of my story typing in Comp Sci 'cause my parents are still breathing down my neck at home.

Like I said, I'll try.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

"Larxene fell asleep."

Zexion looked away form the TV screen in surprise at Lexaeus' comment and found Larxene asleep next to him, her head leaning back on Marluxia's lap.

"Ssh!" Marluxia hissed, putting a finger to his mouth. "Let her sleep!"

Vexen leaned over to Zexion and whispered, "I noticed before. He was playing with her hair and looking very… entranced. I believe that Organization XIII's neophyte traitors may be dating. Or at least will be soon. Pay attention; they can't hide it forever." Vexen leaned back into his original position, and Zexion stole a look at Castle Oblivion's ex-keeper.

He actually didn't look like he felt anything. He was staring at Larxene thoughtfully, but there was no particular emotion on his face. But Zexion could smell the emotion: Marluxia was happy. He must have put his guard up when Lexaeus said something…

Despite his old rivalries with the occupants of the upper floor, Zexion couldn't help but wish them both luck. After all, he knew what it was like to not be able to be with the person he loved…

Even though he wanted Avalon to be happy, he wasn't sure what that would mean for him. She had so many chances already to move on and forget about him. He did want her to be happy, but… The thought of Avalon with someone else made Zexion so lonely he couldn't bear it.

There was a loud yawn from Zexion's side, nearly making him jump.

"D—n, I'm tired," Marluxia whined. "Hey, Vexen! I thought Nobodies never got tired!"

"We died, imbecile," the scientist snapped back. "It would stand to reason that we would be tired, the same way we're all hungry."

Larxene, for some odd reason, chose that moment to mumble something in her sleep about mating Xemnas and Saix to make Vexen.

There was a collective silence while everyone in the room stared at her.

"Umm…" Marluxia explained slowly and carefully, "We had some … fun… with the chocobo names in Final Fantasy VII. You know how boring that castle got…"

Vexen, a fascinating shade of bright purple, stood up and advanced on the younger Organization member.

"Come on, you know it's amusing," Marluxia said, sounding desperate. "It was just a- ItwasAxel'sideapleasedon'tkillme!"

Vexen slapped him anyway. "Somehow," he said, waking back to his seat and sighing in exasperation, "That doesn't surprise me. Not at all..."

Zexion tried to hide his amusement. "So is that what you three did before Sora arrived? Had gaming sessions?"

Marluxia tried to quickly think up an explanation. After all, they were supposed to be working. "... Talent?" he asked hopefully.

His response was greeted with blank stares.

"... That doesn't even work in that context, you realize?" Zexion finally asked coldly, crossing his arms.

"F--k."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Everyone, meaning Avalon and the "dead" Organization members, passed out from fatigue at roughly the same time. One by one, but within an hour of each other.

The difference being that Avalon fell asleep at Seifer's dinner table.

Seifer had been gathering blankets and pillows and cleaning the library (aka: Avalon's new room) while the girl ate.

"Alright," he said, walking into the kitchen. "It's not exactly a resort, but beggars can't be choosers, so..." He trailed off when he saw her asleep at the table. Or at least he HOPED she was asleep.

"Yo," he put a hand on Avalon's shoulder. "Did you fall _asleep _like that?"

Indeed, it was an odd position.

Avalon's head was hanging forward, facedown, her hair in her face, and her back straight against the chair.

The girl emitted a slight snore.

"I'll take that as a 'yes.'"

Seifer couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "How'd you manage to fall asleep like that?" he asked with amused curiosity.

"Snooore."

Seifer supposed that would translate to something like "Dunno, just did."

"Well," he said reluctantly, not particularly wanting to wake her, "You'd better get up so you can go to bed." Smiling at the irony of the statement, he shook her lightly by the shoulder. "You'll get stiff if you sleep like that all night... morning... whatever this is."

"Snooore."

"Argh! Wake up!" He poked Avalon in the head.

"Snooore."

The man looked to the sky as though praying for patience, then sighed and shrugged. "Alright, you asked for it."

With that, he picked Avalon up and carried her to the library/her room and carefully laid her down on the makeshift sleeping area he'd been working on.

Avalon's breathing eased, eliminating the annoying snore.

Seifer pulled a blanket over her, then sat next to the bed-ish area examining her.

"You've been through a lot, haven't you?" he asked softly, studying her now calm face. She was too tired to not have undergone some form of emotional or physical trauma. And she was so hungry.

He couldn't help but ask one of the questions that'd been on the tip of his tongue all night. "Where do you come from?" He knew Avalon wasn't from this town, but then how did she get here? Where WAS she from? What was with the cloak?

Seifer ran a finger over a small cut on the girl's cheek, most likely from a thorn bush. It wasn't deep.

"Why did you need to get to the Mansion so badly? And who are you? I don't mean your name, just... you"

It was odd. He knew next to nothing about this girl, but at the same time felt like he was meant to meet her. Like he was supposed to help her. "Like fate..."

The man snorted at how corny he sounded, then patted Avalon on the head and stood up.

"'Night." With a wave, he flipped the light off and left the room.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Meanwhile, Axel was in some degree of trouble.

Xemnas had called an emergency meeting after Saix examined Castle Oblivion. So now, the Organization members sat in varying positions on their high white chairs in their meeting room in the castle of the World That Never Was. They were all grumbling and complaining about the time, but there was an air of unease in the room.

From time to time, Axel couldn't help but glance at the six empty seats, as was the case with the other members. Unlike the others, however, Axel felt a degree of guilt toward the empty chairs, rather than the curiosity of the others.

Xemnas stood on a platform to address the group, and suddenly it was silent, all attention on him. Well, more than usual, that is.

"First, Number 13 left on his own," the man said in his emotionless, yet somehow tragic voice. "We are still unable to locate him."

Axel flinched.

Xaldin muttered about how this meeting had better not be about tracking Roxas, considering the ungodly hour. A few others nodded their agreement.

Xemnas took a deep breath for patience and continued. "And now, five members are dead."

There was a collective gasp. Demyx nearly fell out of his seat.

"But we thought they were on a secret mission or something!" Demyx exclaimed in shock after regaining his balance. "I mean, if Zexy, Vexen, and Lexaeus were involved..."

"How could this have happened?" Luxord asked quietly.

That was one of the questions in everyone else's' minds. Xemnas found himself being stared at by the entire Organization at once; a rare occurrence, indeed.

"For that," the Superior replied seriously, "I will turn to Numbers 7 and 8. Number 8 is the only survivor, and Number 7 was sent to investigate after the shrines in Proof of Existence turned red."

No one asked why Saix was sent. Everyone knew he was Xemnas' right hand man, always by the man's side, cold and poised, willing to do his bidding. Sort of like a guard dog. There were even rumors amongst the younger Organization members (and Xigbar) about some, shall we say... not strictly buisness conduct between them. Xemnas and Saix were yet to get wind of these rumors.

Axel started, trying his hardest not to let his nerves show. "Alright, this is how it went... Sora arrived at the Castle. Marluxia and Larxene tried to harness his powers by using Namine to replace his memories. They were going to use him to take over the Organization."

Xemnas' eyes flashed dangerously.

"But thanks to yours truly," Axel dramatically put a hand on his chest, "The plan failed, resulting in the deaths of our traitors."

Demyx whistled and gave Axel a thumbs up.

Axel just rolled his eyes and continued. "While that was going down upstairs, Riku appeared in the basement. Zexion and Lexaeus figured out what Marluxia and Larxene were planning and tried to harness Riku's powers to counter the rebellion. Vexen, completely oblivious to the situation, made a clone of the boy and tested its powers upstairs, but after losing a battle to Sora, started telling him about the other side of his heart."

Xigbar tisked and shook his head. "Dr. Frankenstein was at it again, huh?"

Axel smirked at the fact that his nickname for Vexen had stuck. "Yeah, he was. Naturally, neither side of the Organization could have that, so I disposed of him."

"Vexen always was too blabby," Xaldin remarked off-handedly.

"I never liked him," Demyx added, nodding.

"But his scientific expertise was invaluable," Xemnas stated coldly. "As were that of Numbers 5 and 6. It will be harder to achieve our goal without them."

The other members stared at the Superior. Did he just stick up for someone, or were they imagining it? Sure, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion were fellow founders, but from Xemnas that was just plain... creepy.

"_Anyway_," Axel continued, drawing their attention back to him. "After that, Sora killed Larxene and, in the basement, Riku killed Lexaeus. I allowed Sora to face off against Marluxia, and he won. Obviously."

"So..." Xaldin said, "Zexion decided that with the rebellion crushed, Riku wasn't needed? And he died in battle?"

Axel shook his head gravely. "No, he was killed by Vexen's experiment."

"The Riku Replica?"

"Yeah. It seemed to think it could get a heart by killing him. It died fighting Riku afterwards. I'm guessing Namine escaped with either Riku or Sora while I was laying low." Axel shrugged. "So anyway, that's the story. Got it memorized?"

Silence.

Saix spoke, a slight smirk visible on his face. "I wonder, Axel, how you would know all of this?"

The red head paled, then turned a light shade of red.

"And why would the Riku Replica go after Zexion instead of you? You were, after all, much closer."

"What are you accusing me of, Saix?" Axel snapped.

Saix gave a hollow, emotionless laugh. "Oh, you know very well what I am accusing you of."

Axel glared at him with the same look that usually sent Demyx screaming from the room. "I know what happened because I keep an eye on my surroundings," the Nobody spat. "And as for why the Riku Replica didn't go for me..." Axel forced himself to replicate his usual cocky smirk. "I'm more of a threat than Zexion, and it knew that."

Saix and Axel glared daggers at eachother until Xemnas spoke.

"Ehem. Number 7?"

"Yes, Superior?" the man responded in the smug voice of a trained soldier.

"Did you find anything of notice?"

Saix shook his head. "Only the fact that Namine was gone and three sets of uniforms were missing."

"Hmmm..." The Superior stared off into space thoughtfully. "Riku probably took one to throw the Keyblade wielder's friends off his scent while he further investigates the darkness. But what of the other two?" He turned to Axel. "Number 8, was there someone else in the castle?"

Axel felt his stomach flip, something he hadn't felt since before he became a Nobody. "Umm… it's possible the King turned up after everything happened…" he replied, scratching the back of his head in a manner he hoped would make him look unsure. "And maybe Namine took one? I'm not sure, though."

"He's not telling us everything, sir," Saix advised, watching Axel closely.

Xemnas considered. "Number 8, you are on probation."

"I'm on _what?_"

"Your movements will be monitored closely, and if anything suspicious occurs during that time, you will be given the maximum punishment."

"Come on, sir. Isn't that a bit harsh?" Xigbar asked his cohort incredulously. "One dude can't be expected to know _everything_."

"Yeah!" Demyx yelled from the front seat. "And he crushed a rebellion! Is that any way to thank him?"

Xemnas shrugged. He had no problem dealing out punishment. "It's a precaution." He regarded the shocked, sulking Axel. "But you did do well in putting the uprising down, so I will give you a new assignment."

Axel sighed and looked up. He hadn't enjoyed many assignments lately.

"Your new job, Number 8, is to find Number 13."

Axel stared blankly, slightly dazed by the assignment. He had to track down his best friend?

"Find Roxas," the Superior continued, "And bring him back to us. Whether voluntary or by force, get him to me. And if I so much as get a hint that you've helped him in any way…"

Everyone in the room except Saix and Xemnas shuddered at the thought of what would happen to Axel.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

After discussions of what the Organization would do now that nearly half its members were gone, the emergency meeting was adjourned.

Axel was the first one out of there. Within a minute, he was on the streets of the World That Never Was, pacing back and forth in agitated thought.

"Yo, Axel!"

Axel turned to find Demyx running toward him.

"What?" he asked testily.

The mulleted Nobody slowed to a stop in front of him and bent over to regain his breath. "I… just wanted you to know…" he panted, looking up at the redhead. "That I like seeing you on probation about as much as the next guy, and…"

By some coincidence, Saix chose that moment to walk past, pointing at Axel and laughing outright. Which was really scary because he _never_ showed any emotion other than pure malice.

Axel raised an eyebrow and turned to Demyx, who was staring after Saix with a shocked look.

"Well, gee. Thanks," Axel said sarcastically to the younger Nobody while flicking Saix off from over his shoulder.

Demyx looked a little flustered. "Well, how was _I _supposed to know he'd be the next guy?" He ran a hand over the back of his mullet. "What I meant was… most of us are rooting for you. The boss went pretty hard on you back there. And…" Demyx shifted his weight a bit. "I wanted to say that if you need any help, just ask me."

Axel's eyebrow went back up. Demyx was definitely the "softest" member of the Organization. "Why and how would you help me, brat?" he asked, attempting to sound amused rather than curious. Axel had always been a bit short-tempered with the musician, and Demyx hadn't known Roxas very well. So he didn't have any obvious motives.

Demyx shrugged in response. "Two reasons, I guess. One: no one deserves the maximum punishment, and two: I know what it's like to lose a friend."

"…" Axel had forgotten about that incident. The one where Demyx, newly a member of the Organization, had refused to carry out a mission for the sake of a friend from his past life. It hadn't ended well for anyone.

Axel stared at Organization XIII's Number 9, at a loss for words. Eventually, he crossed his arms and asked sternly, "Don't you have your own job?"

Demyx smiled sadly. "Well, you know the Superior doesn't like me, so… he doesn't trust me with anything important."

"Ah." Axel hadn't realized that the incident had that much of an impact on Demyx's position. Well, now that he thought about it, it was after that when Demyx became the resident troublemaker. Was that his way of rebelling? "But you do have a job, right?"

"Well, sort of. I'm supposed to keep an eye out for something."

"That's _it_?" the older Nobody asked in dismay. "What are you supposed to keep an eye out for?"

Demyx crossed his arms, suddenly very thoughtful. "Someone called the Guardian. The boss seems to think this guy'd be really helpful if we got him on our side… You okay?"

Axel was visibly whiter. "I… uh…" He wasn't sure, really. His emotions were getting the better of him a lot lately. #(Why the _h—l_ did I want them back, anyway?)# he wondered crossly. #(They're such a pain in the a-s…)# Then he thought about how happy he'd been around Avalon. #(Right… That's it,)# he thought, sighing to himself.

He felt the same as usual most of the time, but in anything that involved Sora, Roxas, or Avalon he would find himself feeling _something_, usually worry or frustration, and something toward Avalon that he didn't feel toward Roxas or Sora; something he couldn't quite place… At any rate, his emotions were becoming more common because those three were beginning to affect more and more of his so-called life.

Demyx stared at his companion curiously. "You know, you've been acting weird ever since the whole Castle Oblivion thing. Did something happen?"

Axel gave a figuratively half-hearted laugh. "Everyone in that castle except me, Sora, Riku, and Namine _died_, Demyx. No duh, something happened."

"Yeah, but…" Demyx twirled one of the silver decorations on his cloak uncomfortably. "I meant, like, did you meet some girl who brought out your ability to feel or something? Is that what you're trying to hide? Are you trying to protect her?" He couldn't help but ask it. That girl on the Destiny Islands said she knew Axel, and had apparently been in the Castle during the chaos. Plus, Axel covered for her with the cloaks, so he obviously cared in some way.

Axel looked like he was either about to faint or crack. Which he was. #(How the _h—l_ did he think of that one?)# "What are you rambling about, kid?" he asked after quickly hiding the shock. "We have no emotions, remember?"

Demyx looked down, disappointed. "Right," he responded quietly. He thought he'd found someone else who realized the truth about their emotions. #(Guess I was wrong,)# he thought sadly, looking at Axel's stern face. #(But…)# "Then why are you not telling the boss about her?"

"About who?"

"That girl in the Organization cloak who was hanging out with Zexy."

After a stunned pause, Axel turned around and opened a portal to leave. He'd had enough. "I… don't know who the h—l you're talking about, Demyx." He responded, hating every word that left his mouth. "Maybe Zexy finally got a girlfriend or something." He stepped into the realm of darkness.

"But-"

Demyx's voice was cut off when the portal closed behind Axel.

Now Axel was really confused. How did Demyx know Avalon?

What was he supposed to do now that he had to hunt down his best friend, and Avalon was being tracked by the closest thing to an ally he had left?

He sighed and shook his head. "Time for another walk in the dark."

* * *

Well, what'd you think? Was it ok? Huh, huh, huh? I really tried to work on some character/plot development in this one.

I'd really appreciate reviews. You know the whole speech: comments, questions, suggestions.

We're at the point where the reviews will probably affect more, too. We're getting closer to where my journal leaves off, so there's less to change if I decide to take a suggestion.

And, of course, I enjoy the feedback. So please review!


	17. Waking Up

Yes, it's short. Yes, it's rushed typing. But it's UP!!! And I apologize in advance for the ending point, but I need to do some work on the next section. Plus the next section appears to be longer than this entire chapter, so Chapter 18 should be longish. I'm REALLY sorry about the infrequent updating, but it should be back under control in a week or two.

Thankyou for the reviews! I'm not sure which ones I responded to and which I didn't, so if you get an extra response (or none at all) that's why.

Btw, my friend forced me to get a Deviantart account, but I don't have anything posted yet for the same reason I haven't posted on here for a while. I'll put a link on my profile when I do post something if anyone wants to check it out.

Ok, enough jabbering.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kingdom Hearts. Only Avalon.

* * *

Zexion woke up lying on his side on the floor. "…When did I…?" He sat up and attempted to push his hair out of his face, and, as usual, failing miserably.

"Well, well," Vexen commented. "Look who decided to wake up."

The rest of the room's occupants turned to face Zexion, who felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Wow, Zexion. I never took you for the late sleeper type!" Larxene commented happily. "Or the type who slept in front of people, for that matter!"

"I'm not," the man admitted. When the Organization _did _sleep, he was usually the first up, and he didn't enjoy the idea of sleeping in front of other people. He must have been more tired than he thought…

"Aaw," the disappointed woman replied. "But you look so _cute _when you sleep."

Zexion flinched and Marluxia twitched.

Vexen, who had turned away from whatever he was doing in front of the TV in time to witness their responses, smirked at Marluxia. "Jealous?" he asked snidely. You want to hear that you were cute asleep? Well, _Blossom_, I'll admit that you're much cuter sleeping than awake. You can't, say, formulate secret plans to take over the Organization that way."

Marluxia growled and flicked the man off, making him frown angrily.

"What are you doing, Vexen?" Zexion asked hurriedly in an attempt to prevent another civil war. Things hadn't worked out very well when that happened in Castle Oblivion.

Fortunately, Zexion chose the right question. Vexen entered what was known as his "mad scientist mode," where he gleefully discussed his work in complicated technical terms, rambling on and on about things that no one, even Zexion, cared about.

A few minutes later, Zexion thought #(What have I done?)#, Larxene yawned, and Marluxia, after a quick glance at Zexion and Larxene, impatiently asked, "Meaning…?"

Lexaeus looked up from helping Vexen, and translated plainly. "We're not getting a reception and are trying to find out why."

"Oh," Marluxia replied, looking vaguely annoyed at the effort he'd wasted in trying to understand Vexen's speech. "Thank you, Lexaeus."

The man gave a slight wave and returned to his work.

"But… That means we can't see what's happening!" Larxene exclaimed in horror.

"Thank you, Einstein," Vexen hissed, gritting his teeth impatiently. "We will try to have the system running soon. But until then…"

"Shut up and be patient," Lexaeus finished gruffly. "Zexion, can you lend a hand? You're about as skilled with tech work as me…"

The younger Nobody sighed and went to join Vexen and Lexaeus. This looked like it was going to be _exactly_ like Castle Oblivion. Except now he had someone to worry about other than himself.

00000000000000000000000000

"Are you alive?"

Seifer stood over Avalon (who was still asleep), checking for signs of life. Goldish light streamed through the windows and illuminated the room in patches.

"Well, you're _breathing_. That's a good sign," he remarked sarcastically. He put his hands on his hips. "Do you realize that it's almost noon?"

The girl gave a little moan and turned from her flat-on-her-back position to her side.

The man's smirk slid off his face. "Seriously, are you alright? You're not sick or anything, are you?" He bent over and checked her temperature with his hand. "Nope, normal."

Seifer sighed to himself. "You're just a really heavy sleeper, aren't you?" He supposed part of it was that she was tired from whatever happened to her before her appearance in Twilight Town. #(What _did_ happen?)# Seifer asked himself as he sat down on the makeshift bed.

"Yo!" He shook Avalon roughly by the shoulder. "Wake up!"

This earned no response other than another moan and position shift.

Seifer found himself sitting on the bed with Avalon's arms around his torso. "Well… this is different…" he remarked with a smirk while staring down at the still obviously asleep girl. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you really _do _want me." He sighed. "But I do know better. I'll be getting up now…"

Unfortunately, by some cruel joke of fate, Seifer's "Disciplinary Committee" members chose that moment to walk (or run) in uninvited.

_Bang! _(the door) _Stomp, stomp, stomp_.

"Hey, Seifer! Something's up in the Back Alley and we could use your help, y'know?" Rai rounded the corner and, instead of closing his mouth after the shout, left it open and skidded to a halt. Fuu, since she was moving slower, came to a more graceful halt, but looked just as stunned.

Seifer knew he was in trouble. Well, not so much him as Avalon. All that was visible was her barely covered upper half, and the black leather of her cloak. Except not enough was visible to tell it was a cloak. Guess what she looked like.

When Rai finally recovered his voice, he stammered, "W-well, I can see you're… busy. Take you're time, y'know?" He shook his head and walked off before Seifer could respond.

"Rai, come back!" Seifer called desperately. "It's not-"

"Excuses," Fuu interrupted, glaring and crossing her arms.

"Wait, Fuu…" Seifer tried to stand up, but failed on account of Avalon's arms around his chest and had to sit back down.

Fuu shook her head and walked of. "Men," she commented loudly on her way out.

"No, wait! It's not what it-"

_Slam!_

"Aw, s—t." Seifer slumped and held his head in his hands. Now they were in trouble.

After all, Twilight Town isn't all that big, and you know what they say about news getting around.

000000000000000000000000000000000

Avalon woke to the sound of a passing train.

"Huh?" The girl looked around at her surroundings. The light streaming through the windows was gold rather than whitish, like Twilight. "Did I sleep _that_ long?" she wondered aloud in disbelief. "And where's Seifer?"

"Gah!" Avalon jumped up and ran to the bathroom Seifer had shown her the night before. Let's just say, she didn't go in Castle Oblivion.

After taking care of business, Avalon found a note taped to the mirror in front of the sink. It read:

_Hey, I've gotta go take care of something in the Back Alley. Or maybe the Sandlot. Or the Tram Common. I'm not sure exactly where, but it's a problem I really have to stop before it gets too much force behind it. Trust me on this one. Anyway, you can apply for work just about anywhere. People here are usually hospitable. Just check out the bulletin boards for details. No, you don't have to pay rent: just save up for when you're old enough to move out. Catch you later. – Seifer_

"Ooook…" Avalon looked the note over again, wondering what this "important business" was; Seifer didn't seem to leave any hint about it. She shrugged and walked into the kitchen to grab what was left of her dinner from last night/that morning.

After a quick breakfast, she reluctantly left the comfort of the house to go outside. Now that it was light, Avalon noticed the unique coloring of the world. _Everything_ reminded her of the calm, lazy atmosphere right before sunset. The town itself was picturesque, lined with cobblestone and street lamps. Train tracks seemed to lead everywhere. The sky was on fire, like just before sunset, but the large clock tower in the distance said it was only one in the afternoon.

"What?" the girl asked herself, making a random passerby stare at her as though she were crazy. "Why the heck is the sun setting if it's only one in the afternoon?"

"You a newbie or something?"

Avalon turned to find a man standing next to her. His long black hair was pulled into a neat ponytail, revealing his pointed ears. A scar ran down his face and over an eye patch-covered eye, but the other eye was a striking goldish color that matched the sky. And he was wearing an Organization uniform!

The girl yelped and jumped a little bit away from him in surprise.

The man laughed and waved his hand around. "Chill, little girl, chill. I don't bite. Usually." Avalon noted his funny surfer accent while he eyed her curiously. "All I wanna know is why you're walking around in our uniform. They aren't exactly _common_."

"Um…" Avalon looked at herself, trying to think of a good excuse.

"I'll tell ya, you got Number 8 in a real pickle," the man continued, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "So, if you could clear some stuff up, we might be able to get him out of the doghouse."

#(Axel? Axel got in trouble?)# Avalon stared at the man in alarm. "What sort of trouble…? Why? What happened?"

The man looked her over with an extremely calculating look. "Do you know him?"

"Umm…" Avalon stared at the ground. She couldn't say yes. If she'd gotten Axel in trouble, she had to make sure he wasn't affiliated with her. She hated lying, but… "Of course not. I only knew Zexion, Larxene, and Vexen…"

"Oh-HO!" The man seemed _very_ interested by this news. He leaned in closer and rubbed his chin again. "Vexen and Zexion? If it was just Larxene I'd be suspicious, but if you knew Vexen and Zexion…" He grinned in what appeared to be satisfaction. "Maybe I can get Axel off the hook."

Avalon smiled faintly, but quickly hid it.

"But why'd they give you the uniform?"

Avalon actually laughed at this. "Well, I was on the receiving end of one of Vexen's attacks, and you know how… wet his attacks can make a parson."

The man laughed shortly. "Second only to Demyx. I know." He actually started chuckling. "That kid… He's made tidal waves in the halls of our home base. Superior wasn't very happy about that… Axel wasn't either… Demyx was cleaning up for at _least_ a week, until we figured out Marluxia could put plants all over the place to soak it up. And _then _the plants started trying to eat us. Axel ended up burning 'em all, and dude was Marluxia irked."

The two shared a good laugh at that thought.

"You know," the man said seriously. "… It won't be the same without 'em. The Castle Oblivion crew, I mean. Do you know what happened in there?"

Avalon stared at the ground. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"About what?" the man questioned, noticing her downcast gaze. It almost looked like she was about to cry. He was taken aback by this sudden change in attitude.

"Everything. I just… I'm sorry. And… tell A-… Number 8 that, too, please."

Before the man could do anything, Avalon turned on her heel and dashed off, whiping her eyes with her sleeve and leaving the distraught man staring after her. He would have to investigate further, but…

He thought he felt something like pity stir deep within him.

"Alright, little girl," he said softly. "I will."

* * *

Yes, I'm evil to my characters. No, everyone in Twilight Town thinking Avalon is a... well... will not be the main plot. Don't worry. It's just a little side problem she's gonna have to deal with eventually. No, Xigbar will not be a love interest. Just in case anyone was worried about that.

Please review! If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, feedback of any kind, I'd love to hear them.

I shall update the next time I can AND the next part is cleaned. Don't wanna post a not-well-thought-out chapter!


	18. Twilit View

Umm... Hi? I'M SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!!!!!

Actually, I'd like to thank everyone for being so patient. I've had a mix between "Connecting, editing, and adding the scenes" writer's block, a dire need for scholarships, and the usual issues with the computer (plus a now-internet-obsessed brother AND mother.) Thankyou, thankyou, THANKYOU for not flaming me! You guys rock!

I promise, I have now written ahead enough for at least two more polished chapters, and once I get past a certain point, I'll hit a bunch of scenes I wrote a long time ago.

I apologize for the short chapter, but this _particular_ scene was originally so bad that I ended up cutting it off at the last decent point and completely re-writing the rest. Three times.

Anyway, once it was decent, I just went "FINALLY, I can update!" and here I am. With Mom yelling at me. Right now. Which is why it's short. Sorry.

Check out my profile. I've explained why I want you to at the top. Just trust me, most of you will find it interesting.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Kingdom Hearts. Only Avalon.

* * *

Avalon's breath was heavy as she ran through Twilight Town. She was tired, but she didn't stop to rest. 

She ran through the crowded streets, through clusters of curious people, not stopping for anything, not even noticing or caring about what she saw or where she was. And she couldn't help but vaguely wonder what she was running from. Or to.

Eventually, her body cried for rest so loudly that she simply slowed to a stop and collapsed where she stood, crying freely.

She was alone now, in front of what appeared to be a train station (aka: Station Heights). It must not have been a busy day. Not that Avalon really thought about it; she just sat in a position that made it obvious that she'd just collapsed to the ground, not really contemplated the process of sitting.

But it was fine for now. No one was there to see, so she didn't have to pretend things were alright. She could let herself feel the pain she'd been holding back for what seemed like so long.

"You look terrible," a familiar voice commented from somewhere above her.

Avalon refused to look up until she could stop her tears and make herself look happy again. But the steady flow continued. She heard the person walk around to squat in front of her.

"You alright?" the person asked, sounding concerned. When she failed to answer, Avalon felt his finger under her chin, forcing her face upward and into his view.

Demyx gasped slightly at the girl's tear-stained face. She'd seemed so happy the last time he saw her."What happened to you?" he asked, releasing her chin so he could try to wipe her eyes, a futile attempt due to the fact that Avalon couldn't stop crying. "Was it what happened in the castle? Is there anything I can do? I mean-"

"I loved him, Demyx," Avalon sobbed, feeling a sort of weight lift from her at those words. She couldn't tell Riku about Zexion because he didn't seem to like him, but Demyx… At least someone other than her and Axel could know. At least she would be able to talk to someone. "I loved him."

Wordlessly, Demyx sat next to her and spread his arms, letting her bury her face in his chest and cry. No comments, no questions.

After a while, Avalon started voicing snippets of her thoughts, accidentally letting her heart pour out like her tears. "He… he told me I shouldn't feel sorry. But it was my fault! If it weren't for me…"

Demyx rocked her back and forth slightly, allowing her to let all her pain go. He really wanted to ask what happened, but knew it was best to content himself with what he was told. And what he was told sounded important, even if he couldn't understand it.

"He said he loved me… And I loved him… So why?" Avalon let out a little sob. "Why did it have to end like this?"

#(So I was right. They did end up together,)# Demyx thought, then grimly added, #(For however short a period of time…)#

"And… The others. I could have stopped it. I could have saved them. I tried to save Zexion, but… God, I wish none of this had happened. I wish things were different. I wish… I wasn't..."

"Be careful what you wish for," Demyx advised softly. "You never know what could happen."

Avalon almost smiled at the advice. Now that she thought about it, it was true. If she hadn't become the Guardian, she never would have met anyone from the game. She and Zexion never would have loved each other to begin with. Ture, she would have nothing to cry about, but… Somehow she preferred this to having never met him at all.

Avalon gave a slightly amused and annoyed "hmph" through her tears. "Nothing's ever easy."

"That's right," Demyx replied. "But that makes the triumphs all the better, right?"

"… Right." Avalon finally looked up and gave him a small smile. The pain was still there, but somehow it seemed more bearable now.

"That's the spirit." Demyx smiled slightly and wiped the tear trails with his thumb, and this time they stayed gone. "Now, let's go see what the view's like from that clock tower." He pointed at a large clock that loomed over the station. Avalon had been too preoccupied to notice it before. "I'll bet it's really nice."

"Sure."

Demyx stood and helped the girl up, and then they started to walk toward a sort of built-in ladder to the side of the station building. Demyx was slightly confused by Avalon's blatant refusal to go first (she still has the no pants thing going on), but soon conceded and climbed before her.

When Avalon reached the top, she walked around to the ledge right below the clock face and used and arm to steady herself against the it. The height was dizzying. But Demyx was right; it _was_ beautiful.

She had a clear view of the town, its trains and people, and the fiery sky. There was a slight breeze due to the elevation, ruffling Avalon's hair and making the chains of her cloak emit a slight jingle.

Demyx surveyed the scene as well, giving a low whistle of approval. "Roxas was right," he said reverently. "This has to be one of the most gorgeous views in _any _of the worlds."

"Roxas?" Avalon asked, not taking her eyes off of the view. She recognized the name from somewhere, but couldn't quite place it.

"Our 13th member," Demyx replied. "A Keyblade wielder."

Avalon's eyes widened.

"And Axel's best friend."

"Then… why didn't Axel mention him?"

Demyx sighed sadly. "Because Roxas is a traitor."

"Huh?"

"He turned on us so he could meet his other, and now the Organization's posted everywhere so we can find him and catch him." Demyx continued scanning the streets below, looking considerably less peaceful. "Two of us are posted here. Xigbar and Luxord. I drop in a lot, though."

Avalon glanced at her companion and noticed a reminiscent sort of smile on his face.

"This place… reminds me of home."

Avalon's gaze followed a train's progress around the Tram Common. "Oh," she replied quietly.

"Xiggy's alright, but you might want to watch out for him, anyway." Demyx glanced at Avalon worriedly. "At least until you get some new clothes. He's number 2, and seeing as Axel got in trouble for an extra missing cloak…"

"Ur…" Avalon ran a hand through her hair uncomfortably. "He wouldn't happen to have an eye patch, would he?"

"S—t!" the musician cursed loudly. "What happened?"

"I… um… told him I didn't know anyone but Zexion, Vexen, and Larxene. And… I told him… I was sorry." The girl stared into the sunset with a forlorn expression that even Demyx seemed able to read.

"Whose forgiveness are you looking for?" he asked, forgetting for the moment about Xigbar. "It sounds like Zexy forgave you before it even happened."

Avalon brushed her wind-blown hair out of her eyes and continued staring into the distance. "I… don't know. Maybe it's mine."

The comment made Demyx smile. Not his usual big, happy smile; more of a sad, understanding one. "Zexy was lucky," he commented so softly that the statement was almost blown away by the wind.

"What?"

Demyx smiled and shook his head. "Nothing. What's your name, anyway?"

Avalon almost laughed at the realization that she'd never told Demyx her name. "Avalon."

Demyx smiled a smile that even Avalon couldn't read and turned to leave. "I'll go make sure Xiggy doesn't tell the Superior about you. Trust me, you don't want to get involved in his plans."

Demyx opened a dark portal before Avalon could ask why, then hesitated and turned to face her. "I'll be back soon. Can't guarantee when or where, so don't wait. I'll find you." The musician gave her a little wink. "Catch you later."

And then Avalon found herself alone on the clock tower, a little confused, but quite grateful, for more than one reason.

* * *

Thankyou again for your patience, I'm sorry, and please review! Going to do dishes now, so my iPod isn't taken! Bye-bye! 


	19. Umm Thanks?

Yessssssssssssssssssss!!!! The document uploader thing finally worked!!! Sorry about the delay! I had this typed around Easter, but I had technical difficulties after that. Plus, I was out of the country with my school band once we got back from break. (We won just about everything, btw.) On the other hand, this is my second longest chapter ever, so I hope that makes up for it!

Thanks again for being so patient!

* * *

"Why does everyone keep _staring_ at me like that?" Avalon asked a random passerby on the cobblestone street, who immediately turned their head in the opposite direction and strode away as quickly as possible.

Ever since Demyx left, Avalon had been roaming around in search of a decent job, but all she'd found were stares, glares, whispering, pointing, and hurried excuses from employers about why they weren't hiring anymore.

"It's like there's a rumor about me or something," the girl remarked to herself while coming to a halt in front of a bulletin board and examining its contents. #(But that can't be it. I've only been here since last night, and this isn't high school.)#

Though she refused to turn around, the back of Avalon's neck tingled slightly, signaling that people were staring at her again.

#(This is just plain weird,)# the girl thought with a twinge of annoyance.

"Aha!" Avalon smiled and pointed at a small sheet of paper posted near the edge of the board (She talks to herself when she's under pressure). "They're looking for people to 'entertain a crowd!' Sounds like my sort of job! Now… contact info…"

After a little searching, and a lot of frustration, Avalon found the part of town the flier indicated, which, ironically, wasn't very far from the bulletin board. Actually, it was just over the ramp-like street.

The first thing Avalon noticed about the area was that there was a small crowd circled around something. She tried to move in for a closer look, could only see a ball flying into the air over a line of heads.

"What's going on?' she asked a friendly-looking brunette girl near the outskirts of the gathering.

The girl turned around, her green eyes reflecting what seemed like a mix between recognition and alarm, but calmly answered, "We're watching today's Grandstander."

Avalon cocked her head slightly to the side. "Grandstander? Isn't that that entertainment job that was posted on the bulletin board?"

The other girl nodded, not taking her eyes off Avalon. "Yes. There's only one a day, so everyone tends to come and see how they do."

Avalon sighed. "Guess I missed my chance, then…" She shook her head and looked back up to the brunette. "What's a Grandstander do, anyway?"

The girl studied her for a moment, then stepped aside and motioned for Avalon to take her place in the crowd.

"Thanks." Avalon stepped forward to meet an odd sight. In the middle of the circle was a boy wearing punk-style clothes jumping around and hitting a ball into the air repeatedly. Nearby, a little girl held something that looked like the ball/strike counter some little-league baseball umpires carry. Every so often, the boy missed the ball with an overly-enthusiastic swing, making him fall flat on his face while the ball came crashing back to the ground. When this happened, the little girl would click the handheld counting device, the boy would let out some word that was obviously a substitute curse word, and some members of the crowd would mutter about how "He isn't that good," and leave.

"Tough crowd," Avalon commented to no one in particular, then turned back to the girl. "So what's that all about?"

The brunette let out an amused laugh. "Well, usually it's just a job: entertain the crowd and draw business toward the stores. But Hayner, being Hayner, sees it as his own personal challenge." She rolled her eyes and indicated the boy in the center of the circle.

"Ah," Avalon responded with a knowing smile. "The cocky, 'I'm the best, and I want everyone to know it' type?"

This earned a giggle from her companion. "Yeah, pretty much. He's not a bad guy, though."

"I'll keep that in mind," Avalon replied while watching Hayner miss the ball again. The crowd was shrinking considerably. She'd just started to think about how she could help (after all, Hayner was a fellow performer) when she realized the brunette was staring at her. Avalon sighed and turned to face her. "Can I ask _why_ everyone's doing that today?"

The brunette jumped. "What?" she asked innocently.

"I think you know what. Staring, whispering, avoiding me… What the heck's going on around here?"

"You… you don't know?" The girl took one look at Avalon's baffled and slightly annoyed expression and realized that no, Twilight Town's new hot gossip subject hadn't a clue what they could have against her. The brunette's expression instantly softened. "So you aren't a prostitute Seifer hired?"

"… _WHAT?_"

A few startled birds took flight from a nearby roof, while everyone still in the area turned to stare at the girls (except the conductor of a passing rail car, who was too preoccupied with the vast amounts of bird poop that had just landed on his windshield to care).

The brunette girl blushed slightly at the attention and meekly said, "I'll take that as a 'no.'"

"I'm going to kill him," Avalon muttered with her fists clenched at her sides. "No, wait, that's too easy… I'm going to _hurt_ him. _Then_ I'll kill him… And then I'll kill him again…"

"Erm…" The brunette stopped herself, figuring that this was a case where pointing out errors in logic wasn't a good idea. "Look," she said gently, as though stepping on glass, "I can't say I like Seifer, but he didn't spread that rumor."

Avalon paused in planning Seifer's torture and/or death to glance quizzically at the brunette.

"He's been running around all morning yelling at people about how it's not true. To be honest, we all thought he was just trying to keep his reputation clean, but I guess we were wrong…" The girl gave Avalon a short, apologetic bow. "I'm sorry. I should know better than to listen to gossip. Our group isn't exactly a stranger to rumors, after all." The last statement wasn't presented in a self-pitying manner; she sounded more amused than anything else.

"Uhhh… Yeah," Avalon ran her hand through her hair, uncomfortable with being apologized to. "Thanks, but it's alright. You're not the one who started it. But whoever did…" A fire flashed through Avalon's blue eyes as she flexed her fingers slightly. "If I find out they spread this around maliciously…"

"Then I'll help you dismember them."

The brunette girl looked over Avalon's shoulder and smiled at someone. Noticing this, Avalon spun around to find Hayner behind her.

"So you've been listening, then?" the brunette asked.

"Ollette," Hayner replied, sighing and adjusting a wristband, "I think half of Twilight Town has been listening ever since her," he pointed at Avalon, "ear-splitting shriek."

Avalon shot an annoyed look at the boy.

"Not that I _blame_ her," he added hastily.

A slightly pudgy boy appeared in the small group and looked Avalon over. "Those clothes probably don't help," he concluded seriously.

"And you are…?" Avalon asked, curiously eyeing their new arrival.

"Oh!" The brunette girl (Ollette, Avalon guessed) covered her mouth in shock. "I'm sorry! We never introduced ourselves!" The girl smiled and put a hand to her chest. "I'm Ollette."

"Pence," the chubby boy said, pointing to himself.

"Hayner," Hayner said, extending a hand roughly.

"Avalon." Avalon took Hayner's hand and tried to not giggle at his tough-guy attitude. What was it with game guys and arrogant personalities, anyway?

"But Pence is right," Hayner withdrew his hand. "The low-cut leather look isn't good for getting rid of bad rumors."

Pence sighed at Ollette's gleeful expression. "Oh no. I sense a-"

"Shopping trip!" Ollette finished, absolutely radiating glee. "We're taking you shopping!"

Hayner smirked at Avalon's sudden discomfort and obvious urge to escape. Ollette's enthusiasm usually had that effect on them. Oh, how he enjoyed watching someone else squirm. He crossed his arms and prepared to watch.

As usual, Ollette failed to notice the agony of her companions, blinded by the prospect of finally having another girl to go shopping with. The girl leaned toward Avalon and grabbed her arm. "You're coming with us!"

"Us?" Hayner asked, uncrossing his arms with a frown.

Pence looked to the sky and slapped his forehead. "I knew it…"

"But," Avalon protested weakly as Ollette half-drug her toward a little store that would have looked like a house if it weren't for the small sign that hung above its door, "I don't have much munny, and…"

"It's on him, then." Ollette nodded toward Hayner.

"Hey!" the boy exclaimed, "You can't just-"

"It's the least we can do to welcome you," Ollette interrupted, glaring pointedly at Hayner. "After all, you aren't getting much of a welcome from anyone else."

"Ok, _fine_." Hayner threw his hands in the air while they walked. "Whatever."

"No. Seriously, I'm fine. Really. I'll just get clothes when I get more munny. I don't need to bum off of someone for them."

"You're not 'bumming,'" Pence replied kindly.

"That's right," Hayner said. "I'm giving them to you. So there."

"If you don't come with us, I'll just choose something for you and drop it off at your house," Ollette threatened, waving a finger in Avalon's direction.

Pence shivered. "You don't want her to do that. Trust me. She always gets the sizing wrong."

"Do not!" Ollette countered in an offended voice.

Hayner had a coughing fit that sounded suspiciously like "Got me an XXL sweater," but immediately adopted an innocent smile which appeared practiced when Ollette turned to glare at him.

"So you have no more excuses," Hayner said quickly, seemingly eager to change the subject to avoid trouble. He opened the shop's door and stood aside so Ollette could easily drag Avalon in. "You're going shopping whether you like it or not."

"Umm… Thanks?"

00000000000000000000000000000

An hour later, Avalon and the Twilight Town crew emerged from the store, Avalon carrying her old cloak and boots in her arms. No one noticed, not even Avalon, but she handled the garments gingerly, like an adult carrying their baby blanket. To her, they signified a piece of her life that would never come back, no matter how much she wanted it to.

"Can I ask something?" Avalon inquired in an intentionally pleasant voice.

"Shoot," Hayner replied with a wave. Avalon took that to mean "Sure."

"How are _these_ clothes any better than the cloak? They show _more_!"

This was true: the shirt was spaghetti-strapped and ended slightly above her midriff, with a V-ish shaped neck that dipped past her bust.

The shopkeeper had said the tie that crossed over the cut was supposed to close it. Unfortunately, as seemed usual for Avalon, it wasn't working the way it was designed. He'd assured her it looked better on her that way, and found himself being stared at suspiciously by all four kids.

Then there was the mini skirt. It was low-cut, short, and form-fitting. Avalon would've absolutely refused to wear it if it weren't for the addition of a pair of spandex shorts underneath. Though she liked the idea of extra coverage, Avalon had initially stared blankly at the shorts when Ollette pointed them out, reminded of Axel's advice back in Castle Oblivion.

Avalon's new boots were white, high-heeled tie-ups. This, at least was a feature of her new outfit that Avalon was utterly in love with.

"I mean, _seriously_," she continued while trying in vain to shield her even more barely covered upper half with the arm her cloak draped over. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but isn't this _worse?"_

"Well, it's not black leather," Pence pointed out.

"And nothing else fit," Hayner added helpfully.

Ollette looked Avalon over and smiled at her handiwork. "Besides, you look like a model now."

"No," Avalon stated matter-of-factly. "No, I don't. I look like a-"

"Wanna bet?" Pence interrupted, pointing at a poster on the wall they were passing. Blonde girl, big bust, most revealing dress Avalon had ever seen. An advertisement for a store ingeniously named "The Clothing Store." "Heck, I'll bet they'd hire you."

"No." Avalon's response was so flat and immediate that no one dared challenge her. Even if they would hire her, she wasn't _that_ desperate… yet.

Hayner threw his hands up in aggravation. "Whatever. It's my munny, and I say you keep the clothes."

Avalon sighed. She supposed they knew what they were talking about: after all, Hayner, Pence, and Ollette had lived in Twilight Town their whole lives. #(I guess I should just try it and see…)#

But, boy did she feel self-conscious.

"Oh man!" Pence suddenly came to a stop and pointed at the clock tower looming in the distance.

The others also halted and looked up, disappointment evident on their faces

"Darn," Hayner whined, putting a hand on his forehead and leaning his upper body skyward. "Our parents are expecting us back." He and the others turned to Avalon. "Sorry to meet and run, but we've gotta go."

Avalon gave them an understanding smile. She defiantly knew what it was like to have a worried parent. "It's alright. I'll manage."

"Alright, then." Hayner waved and ran full-speed toward the Tram Common.

"See you tomorrow!" Ollette called on her way after him.

"Bye!" Pence followed after his friends and disappeared from sight.

Avalon stared after the group with a smile. "Well," she mused to herself, crossing her arms and glancing toward a nearby wall in search of billboards, "I guess I should get back to job hunting."

But something bothered her. Something nagging, trying to force itself out of the back of her mind.

The girl's free hand flew to her mouth. #(Mom!)# she realized with a gasp. #(I haven't thought about her since I got here! Or even trying to go home…)# She felt a sickening wave of guilt at the realization. She'd been so absorbed in her own emotions, her own love life, that she'd forgotten about home.

Avalon raised her face to the burning sky. #(I'm definitely a long way from home. Will I ever be able to go back?)# She hadn't thought about it. The idea that she could be stuck here forever hadn't even occurred to her. This realization mixed her guilt with the very human fear of not being able to go back to what is familiar and comfortable. Avalon's stomach twisted unpleasantly.

#(I mean, yeah it was boring. Yeah, I always wanted an adventure, something different, but… I knew what to expect. I didn't have to worry about the future, or death, or… fate. I was going to go to college, and get a job, maybe even get married someday. What if I have to give up on all of that?)#

The sky was warm and inviting. A slight breeze pushed the fluffy, gold-rimmed clouds over Avalon's head and behind a nearby building.

Gradually, Avalon's fear disappeared. Even if she was trapped here, she could adjust. She'd move on. But she was worried about the people from her other life.

00000000000000000000000000000000000

Larxene and Marluxia were bored. Seriously, desperately bored.

"Scissors," Marluxia yawned. "I win."

"Let's see. That makes it… hmm …" Larxene un-papered her hand and started pointing at random sections of the air, swirling her finger around with a look of vague concentration. It looked like she was writing something. "A tie," she finally concluded, letting her hand fall to her side. "Again."

Marluxia groaned and stretched his arms above his head in another lazy yawn while, as always, mysteriously managing to maintain his regal air and poise. "Let's just go back to sleep," he suggested in mid-yawn.

"If you're really that bored, go scout around," Lexaeus _suggested_ in a voice which held every hint of disapproval and annoyance. "Maybe you'll find something relevant to us."

"That's a good idea." Zexion looked up from the three-person huddle around the PS2. His hair was, if possible, even messier than usual, an observation that made Larxene suppress a giggle. "Anything that could tell us about this world or its connection with ours."

"Or this ------- machine," Vexen added, pounding the PS2 for emphasis.

"Don't damage the system," Zexion snapped. It seemed he wasn't in the best mood either. "And you two," he pointed at Larxene and Marluxia, "Go make yourselves useful."

"For once," Vexen muttered, returning to his ever-so-frustrating work.

Before Marluxia could reply angrily, Larxene grabbed his arm and dragged him into Avalon's room.

"What was that about?" the man spat after the door swung shut. "Did you _hear_ them? 'Go make yourselves useful,' 'For once,' and that condescending tone… Those b-----ds need to be put in their places."

Larxene stared blankly back at her irate companion. The man seemed to notice this, because he suddenly watched her rather than glaring daggers through the closed door.

"Well?" he asked, crossing his arms expectantly. "Don't you think so?"

"I… used to," Larxene explained slowly, carefully. "But haven't you noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

Larxene was relieved that Marluxia had calmed enough to hear her out. There was a time when he would snap at her for disagreeing with him, but those days seemed long gone. As a matter of fact, Larxene was now the only Organization member who could reason with Marluxia when he was angry.

"Look at who's taking an unofficial leadership role."

Marluxia's eyes widened. "Zexion," he said quietly. Why didn't he notice it before? It wasn't normal. Not at all. Zexion _never _took the spotlight; he simply gave suggestions or discussed things in such a way that he could convince people to do what he wanted without realizing it. Now, suddenly, he was giving orders.

Larxene nodded. Based her expression, she'd been analyzing the situation for a long time.

#(Leave it to Larxene to seem oblivious while taking everything in,)# Marluxia thought with a smirk. There was a reason he'd chosen her as a partner in the rebellion.

"It's not just that that interests me," Larxene said seriously. "It's like he's trying to keep the peace between all of us. He would never have done that before. Something's changed."

Marluxia stroked his chin and pondered her words. It was true. Come to think of it, everyone seemed more alive somehow; their anger was fiercer, their curiosity more irresistible, some of their actions out of character or illogical, random acts of kindness more common. "What's happening to us?" he finally questioned aloud.

Larxene frowned and tapped a finger absent-mindedly against the door. "I've been wondering the same thing. I thought of something, but…" The woman trailed off, looking embarrassed, something that rather alarmed Marluxia. Larxene was strong, assertive… even intimidating at times. She would never show such a weak emotion.

"I'm not sure I really want to know," the woman finished feebly.

To Marluxia's complete dismay, his stomach felt as though it had suddenly dropped. It wasn't from surprise, he just… Didn't like seeing Larxene upset. #(Why?)# he wondered silently. None of this made any sense. They were _Nobodies_.

Marluxia's stomach growled.

The two jumped, stared at the man's stomach, and then exchanged bewildered looks. Their bodies shouldn't _need_ food! It made no sense! The hunger, the exhaustion, the weird behavior, the emotions…

"My God," Marluxia practically breathed. "Our hearts… Could it be?"

Before either he could rethink his actions or Larxene could protest, Marluxia took Larxene's hand in his and searched her wrist for a pulse.

Both thought they felt a sort of current run up and down their arms at the contact, then disappear. Larxene shivered slightly and Marluxia paused, staring at his arm with a frown. They both recognized that feeling from before their deaths.

Marluxia went back to feeling for a pulse, but more frantically than before. Now he understood what Larxene meant about not being sure she wanted to know: he wanted so desperately to be right that he wasn't sure he could deal with the disappointment.

Larxene felt Marluxia's hand rest on her wrist and looked up at him to interpret the verdict.

Marluxia's face was frozen, his expression unreadable, his eyes dark with rapid thought.

Larxene's stomach seemed to flip. He'd found the answer all right. But what was it? "… Marluxia?"

The man looked as though he'd suddenly been brought out of a trance. He stared blankly at Larxene, then broke into the first true smile she'd ever seen him give anyone. "It's over," he announced, keeping his voice steady with an obvious effort. "I don't know how, but we've done it. … We've regained our hearts."

* * *

Mwahaha! Yes, this explains some of the OCC ness. After all, people don't ALWAYS act like themselves when following their hearts, particularly people whose personalities we've watched without them.

I have a laptop now, though there's no internet connection to it. That means chapter typing should happen faster, but it might still take a little while to post. But gaps won't be as big as they used to be.

A usual, I end with this: please review! I want to know what you think!


	20. Wait, What About A Game?

Ok, before I go any further, let me apologize for not updating in so long. My excuses this time are many, including college admission crap (which is FINALLY OVER!), finals, AP testing (I passed everything! No 101 classes for me this year!), graduation practices, graduation, weeks of parties, two week-long trips with friends, family visitation for like a month, baby-sitting my sister so my mom can work, losing my notebook during said activities and having to start almost from scratch (my plans for the story changed a lot upon further reflection), writer's block, going to Otakon, locking myself in my room for a few days to read the last Harry Potter book (which was AWESOME!), and getting ready to move twice in the next month. I AM SO SORRY, BUT I DID HAVE REASONS!

But, there does come a time when excuses are just that; excuses. Yes, I've been busy. But I've always been busy, and always will be busy (cough- 9am to 9pm practices for college band camp starting in two weeks). I've just gotta learn to suck it up and work around it without leaving four months between updates. Thus, this chapter which I decided to type up at 1:45 this morning.

Thank you for your amazing patience, and I SWEAR I'm sorry!

Disclaimer: I really hate these things, but I don't feel like shelling out the money for my entire college education just because I got lazy and some lawyer got bored (or desperate) and decided to check fanfics for disclaimers. I DON'T OWN THE RIGHTS TO KINGDOM HEARTS, OK?

* * *

"_What_?"

Zexion scrutinized Larxene, who was comfortably sprawled on Avalon's bed, and Marluxia, who leaned against the closed door to keep anyone from intruding. Both managed to appear smug and elated at the same time, and Zexion could smell honesty. There was no question that, to their knowledge, Marluxia and Larxene were telling the truth.

"I said, 'Our hearts are back,'" Marluxia repeated impatiently.

"That's… impossible," Zexion responded flatly. "We haven't done anything that would conceivably-"

"Can I ask you something?" Larxene interrupted. "If that Guardian girl could save our bodies from being taken by the darkness, is there any reason she couldn't do the same for our hearts?"

Zexion stiffened. Larxene had a valid point; if Avalon's light could fight the darkness from their bodies, why couldn't she also extract their hearts from the same force? Why hadn't the possibility occurred to him before?

Zexion numbly felt his wrist for a pulse. He was able to find the area with ease, unlike many other people (like my Psych class: we all thought we were vampires or something), because of habit he'd developed in his early days as a Nobody. He'd taken to feeling his pulseless wrist after each failed experiment to remind himself why he kept going, why the entire Organization kept searching. But this time, it was there. A steady, strong, genuine pulse.

Zexion's wide-eyed look made it clear to Marluxia and Larxene that he'd found the same thing they did.

After a long, thought-filled silence, Zexion quietly asked, "Do you realize what this means?"

"That the Organization has fulfilled its purpose," Marluxia answered flatly. "It has no point in existing any longer."

Zexion nodded gravely.

"_What_?" Larxene's upper body snapped into a sitting position. "But… that's what was keeping all of us together! We can't disband now!"

Zexion shot her a penetrating, questioning look. "I thought you wanted that."

Larxene recoiled slightly, looking vaguely hurt. "That's not it," she responded so earnestly that Zexion found himself actually listening to her instead of getting annoyed. "We didn't want to bring the Organization down! We wanted to make it better!"

"Make it better?"

"You were there when the Organization was created, Zexion." Marluxia said, crossing his arms again. "You know better than us that it failed in its efforts. And we thought we knew why…"

"…Why?" Zexion asked against his better judgment. He just couldn't resist a chance to have the other side's thought process explained to him.

Larxene smiled and shifted her weight back, supporting herself with her arms. "Because Xemnas was the leader. He doesn't even remember what being human's like, so how could he help us regain our humanity?

"Well…" Zexion rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Demyx did ask me something along those lines a while ago… I just thought he was trying to create trouble."

"Not addressing the problem is what's 'creating trouble,'" Larxene countered.

"Maybe it is…" Zexion admitted thoughtfully.

Larxene caught Marluxia's eye and winked, mouthing "Told you so."

Zexion was actually listening to their side. _A loyal founder_ thought they had a valid point. Marluxia just shook his head in disbelief, making Larxene grin. "Almost makes me feel like we could have overthrown Xemnas _without_ the elaborate takeover plan," he mused.

"You might have succeeded had you simply _talked_ to all of us," Zexion criticized, glaring at his companions with his one visible eye. "Except perhaps Vexen and Saix…"

Larxene shook her head. "I don't think you would've honestly listened without your heart. You would've turned us in the second we mentioned a shift in power."

"… Was I really _that_ bad?"

"Yes," Larxene and Marluxia replied at the same time.

Zexion frowned.

"We've succeeded in straying _extremely _off subject," Marluxia said flatly.

Zexion crossed his arms. "You're right. We should be discussing what to do now that our hearts are back."

"Let's not tell the others," Larxene said quickly.

Zexion and Marluxia stared at her.

"Well, you two said it yourselves; without a common goal, we have no reason to stay together." Larxene looked back and forth between the two. "We need each other right now, since we're in a completely new world. But if they knew…"

"Vexen would run out the door with that shrill laugh of his, yelling about how he 'can leave the imbeciles at last.'" Marluxia finished, rolling his eyes.

"I don't know that that's entirely accurate…" Zexion said with a frown.

"But can we risk it?" Larxene asked pointedly.

"It just… doesn't feel right," Zexion replied feebly.

The other two shot stunned looks at each other.

"Wow." Larxene shook her head. "You're a completely different person with your heart."

Marluxia fixed the surprised younger man with his gaze. "You're the schemer, Zexion. What would you have done as a Nobody, without any moral reservations?"

Zexion hesitated for a second before lowering his head guiltily and replying, "I… would have been safe and not told them."

"Then that's what we'll do now," Marluxia said firmly.

Zexion shook his head in disapproval before Marluxia stepped aside and opened the door.

00000000000000000000000

"Did they find anything of use?" Vexen asked immediately after the three filed back into the living room.

"Did you fix the device?" Zexion asked flatly in return.

Vexen glared and brandished something that looked like a wrench. "We don't need your sarcasm. Just say 'no' and be done with it!"

This drew Lexaeus' attention. The scientist fixed Zexion with a stare not unlike his own. "Is there a reason you answered his question with a question, Zexion?"

Lucky for Zexion, a series of sharp knocks at the door diverted everyone's attention.

Suddenly united by the possibility of being discovered, the inhabitants of the living room wordlessly crowded into a small circle so they could discuss the situation without being overheard by anyone who might be at the door.

"We don't know for sure if anyone's there," Marluxia pointed out. "It could have just been something falling out of a tree or blown by the wind."

Another series of knocks.

"Or not…"

Zexion sniffed the air tentatively. "It's a girl." (Sniff) "About Avalon's age." (Sniff) "No scent of powers related to the Keyblade or Guardian."

"You can tell that much from the _smell_?" Larxene asked, intrigued.

"How do you think I always had an idea of what was happening, even without _our_ crystal ball?" Zexion asked, referencing the basement monitoring system the "topside" members had taken after breaking their own.

"… Oh."

"But who is it?" Vexen asked, rubbing his chin. "One of her friends, perhaps?"

"That's not an issue right now," Lexaeus said firmly, noticing that the knocking had grown increasingly more insistent. "How do we get rid of her?"

Larxene shrugged and Marluxia shook his head, both at a loss for discreet ideas. Lexaeus and Vexen, however, both turned to Zexion with faces that made it look like they were trying very hard not to laugh.

"No," he said flatly after realizing what his coworkers were thinking.

"You must."

"No."

"It's the only way."

"I refuse."

"But you're the only one who can pull it off."

"I. Will. Not."

Larxene exchanged a glance with Marluxia before asking, "He won't _what_, now?"

000000000000000000000000000000000

Outside, a girl with curly, dirty-blonde hair pounded her fist impatiently against the blue-painted wood of the cabin door. "C'mon, Av! It's me, Vikki! Are you asleep again or something?"

She lowered her fist in a sudden moment of horror. Avalon was _hard_ to wake up. If she really was asleep, she probably wouldn't wake up for a very, very long time.

"Av!" Vikki shouted again as sudden desperation seeped into her mind. Being stuck outside in the middle of the mountains didn't seem like fun, at least not _unprepared_.

But before she could resume pounding, the door swung open. Vikki jabbed an accusing finger at the girl in the doorway. "Did you forget?"

Avalon stared back at her, looking slightly confused. The expression shifted to something oddly akin to a chess player sizing up their opponent. She then sighed, raised a hand in front of her mouth before clearing her throat, and replied in an unusually sweet voice "Forget what?"

"You invited me over, remember?"

Avalon instantly adopted a forced-looking half-smile that Vikki had never seen on her. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that," she said quickly, her voice shifting to its usual tone. "It's just… I'm feeling a little… icky, and I just woke up…"

Well, that explained the black tank top – pink plaid pants combo.

Avalon's smile faltered slightly. "You know, I still don't feel quite right, and I don't want you to catch it, so…"

Vikki looked the other girl over inquisitively. Something about her didn't seem… right. She couldn't put her finger on it, but _something_ was off. "Well, I just drove four hours to get here, so I'm staying," she finally said, shouldering her way through the door before her friend could protest. "Besides, you have the worst immune system I've seen in anyone who doesn't have something clinically wrong. Chances are I won't get it."

Avalon's eyebrows went up a little. "But I _really_ think it's contagious."

Vikki's green eyes bored into her friend's as she flatly asked, "Are you throwing up?"

"No..."

"Fevered?"

"Um…"

"Sneezing?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Coughing?"

Avalon burst into a sudden fit of hacking.

Vikki watched in alarm as her friend calmed herself with what appeared to be a great effort. "You ok?"

Avalon, nodded, her hand over her chest.

"Are you sure? That didn't sound good…"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Avalon waved her hand weakly. "But it could get worse, and I really don't want you to catch it."

Vikki shook her head. "Look, I just drove for four hours, and I can't just turn around and drive back now. I'm _tired_. Besides, it's just coughing, right?"

Avalon watched Vikki for a moment, then shook her head and closed the door. "Ok, but you have to promise to leave if it looks like it's getting worse."

"Are you trying to get rid of me or something?" Vikki asked playfully, walking toward the living room to set her stuff down, Avalon following close behind.

"Of course I am," Avalon replied with an enigmatic variation of her new half-smile.

"Well, you'll have to do better than that. You should know by now I don't scare that easily."

Avalon sighed. "I can see that," she muttered to herself in an exasperated tone.

Vikki turned to the TV and looking curiously at the poor, abused, slightly dismantled PS2. "Well, I see you decided to bring it. But what happened?"

Avalon tilted her head slightly, looking very confused. Some of the confusion faded after she followed Vikki's gaze, but she still looked like she didn't get something. "Oh? The PS2? It stopped working…"

"Man, that's balls," Vikki responded heatedly. "Did you at least get to start it?"

"Huh?"

"Kingdom Hearts 2," Vikki eyed Avalon as though surprised by her lack of understanding, "You know, the game you've been looking forward to playing ever since Chain of Memories came out? And you told me the entire plot from Kingdom Hearts 1 _and_ Chain of Memories just so I could be up to speed with the new game? And then you freaked out because I finished it way before you?"

Avalon seemed, for lack of a better word, shocked. "A… game?"  
Vikki turned back to her friend, her forehead furrowed with worry. "Av, seriously, are you alright?"

Avalon swayed slightly, but managed to avoid tipping over by grabbing Vikki's shoulder.

Vikki put an arm around her friend's shoulders and felt her forehead with the other. "You're not fevered or anything…" she said, puzzled. "But you're going to bed. Now."

"No, I'm fine," Avalon protested.

Vikki shook her head and practically dragged her friend to the door she supposed led to the bedroom. "I don't feel like dealing with your dead corpse just because you didn't want to listen to me. You're going to bed if I have to sit on you to keep you there," she said firmly, reaching forward to open the door.

And then she found herself face-to-face with Larxene, Marluxia, Lexaeus, and Vexen.

There was a very long silence.

Once her mind registered the fact that she was looking at _Organization members_, Vikki accidentally dropped Avalon in surprise. The thud alerted her to the fact that she'd dropped her, but when she looked down she saw not Avalon, but Zexion propped on his elbow and rubbing the back of his head, wincing in pain.

"Wha- How- But- You-!" Vikki glanced frantically around at the very real video game characters, all of whom looked extremely nervous. After taking a moment to calm herself, Vikki reached forward to touch the closest member; who happened to be Zexion. And since it was Zexion, "touching" meant "ruffling his weird hair."

"You're real," she said disbelievingly to the visibly annoyed Cloaked Schemer.

"Thank you for your diagnosis," he snapped, his patience worn thin thanks to his recent ordeal of having to pretend to be Avalon, being dropped on the floor, and having his hair mussed. With as much dignity and indifference as he could muster, he pushed himself to his feet and attempted to fix his hair.

Vikki broke into a grin. "That's _boss_! But where's Av?"

The Organization members exchanged looks.

"Our knowledge is extremely limited," Lexaeus said reluctantly. "Perhaps you could help us… fill in the gaps?"

That phrase seemed to bring Vikki's rational mind back into play. Fangirlism aside, the personalities and previous actions of the people in front of her began to run through her mind. Vikki cast suspicious glances at the people around her. "You didn't take Avalon prisoner, did you? And you're not going to… say… torture me and force me to tell you whatever you want to know?"

Everyone exchanged looks again.

"Um… no…"

Without warning, the girl turned and bolted for the door. "Yeah right! I know how you people operate!" she called over her shoulder.

"Why do I feel like Avalon was the easy one to deal with?" Zexion asked with a sigh as Marluxia disappeared into a dark portal and reappeared in front of Vikki to cut off her escape. What he wouldn't give for the good old days when his problems consisted only of ADD and an annoying coworker…

"Oh, _balls_!" came a cry from the kitchen. Seconds later, Marluxia emerged from the room with the struggling teenage girl slung over his shoulder.

"Look," he said calmly. "We just want answers. And we're going to get them… through whatever means we deem necessary." His last statement was as calm as could be, but that didn't cover the threatening note buried within it.

Vikki visibly shivered despite herself.

"Oh, come _on_," Larxene scolded, walking up to Marluxia and tapping him on the nose. "You'll never get her to play _that_ way."

"Then what do you suggest, Larxene?" the man asked wearily.

Larxene just smiled. "Let me talk to her."

00000000000000000000000000000000000000

It had been three days since her arrival in Twilight Town, and Avalon had only been able to find tiny little jobs here and there. Poor Riku and DiZ were living on snacks and sandwiches she snuck them from Seifer's house.

In a desperate attempt, Avalon decided that maybe she should let the job find _her_. And so, she posted a notice on the bulletin board reading:

_17-year-old girl for hire. Odd jobs, home services, office work… I'm not picky. Pay negotiable._

A decent idea, yes. Unfortunately, Avalon hadn't taken her current reputation into account. Within 12 hours, Seifer's house was bombarded with men asking Avalon to perform certain… acts, so to say. One of the requests was so explicit, and the man so insistent, that Seifer had to forcibly remove the man from his home, blushing furiously the whole time.

Needless to say, Avalon found it necessary to add a note about what she would _not_ do.

After posting the amendment, Avalon ventured to Market Street with the intent of buying what food she could for Riku and DiZ, promising herself that she would learn to cook eventually.

It seemed the lady at the Chinese restaurant had heard of Avalon's job-hunting.

"So, I hear half the men in town are flocking to Seifer's house," the woman said conversationally while stirring the white rice Avalon had ordered for poor Riku and DiZ's dinner. "That's where you're staying, right?"

Avalon let her head sink from her hand to the picnic table with a groan.

The woman glanced at her and laughed. "It's all right," she consoled, "Not _everyone _in town has jumped to conclusions. A lot of us are on your side; especially since Hayner's group started standing up for you."

Avalon glanced up hopefully. "Really?"

"Really."

The girl smiled to herself, sitting back up to rest her head on her hand again and noticing the clear, cool evening air for the first time. #(So they're campaigning for me, huh?)# she thought with a rush of fondness toward her new friends.

Her mood lightened, Avalon sat at the table conversing with its owner until her food was ready. The woman packed a variety of foods into containers, and the containers into a bag, then held it out to Avalon with a smile.

"Um… I think this is a lot more than I paid for…" Avalon glanced into the bag. "Like, _a lot_."

The woman smiled again and waved her hand dismissively. "I know. It's a special, 'Welcome to Twilight Town' discount. Oh, and if you can't find a job in the next few days just come back here. I could use an assistant chef, now that I think about it."

* * *

Alright. It is now… 4:07 am… I'm falling asleep… But I feel so much better now that I have something to post! And I finally got to use one of my little disconnected scenes that I randomly decided to write! The first of about ten zillion… Most of them are fluff, though, not really plot.

I shall now save the document to my wonderful flashdrive of awesomeness, since I'm working on my laptop which has no internet, go to sleep, and post this online as soon as I wake up. I wrote a chapter! I wrote a chapter! Yaaaaaaaaaaay!

Wow, I'm getting kinda delusional. Sleeping time.


End file.
